This is Part 5 of a 6 Part series. The info will be best understood if read in order. Click here for Part 1

Cavities are often associated with having braces. That’s because plaque bacteria stick to anything hard in your mouth, like the brackets, wires, and springs that are part of the braces. It’s almost impossible to brush away plaque in your child from these little nooks and crannies the braces create. Continue reading

This is Part 4 of a 6 Part series. The info will be best understood if read in order. Click here for Part 1

Today is about the shape (anatomy) of teeth and how it applies to either encouraging cavities (bad) or preventing cavities (good). I’m not here to give a lecture on tooth anatomy, but rather to point out the hot spots where cavities occur and what you can do to prevent them. Continue reading

This is Part 3 of a 6 Part series. The info will be best understood if read in order. Click here for Part 1

After our previous chat about wiping out bacterial colonies every day, today we’re going to talk about starving them out. REAL MOMS have to be great home wreckers for those plaque bacteria constantly trying to set up camp in your kid’s mouth.

Pits and grooves in the teeth are like microscopic “hotels for bacteria.” Brushing and flossing has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with protecting your child’s teeth from cavities. Continue reading

This is Part 2 of a 6 Part series. The info will be best understood if read in order. Click here for Part 1

Today we’re talking about tooth brushing and flossing and how they absolutely DO NOT PREVENT ALL CAVITIES.

Many moms are surprised to learn this fact, especially if they are award-winning champion tooth brushers. And BTW, you’re seriously in the 1% if you actually PROPERLY floss your 3-year-old’s teeth.

This is all about colonies and colonization by microscopic bacteria (plaque). This is the very reason for brushing and flossing – and maybe even “some” mouthwashes. We’re going to learn to kill the colonists before they damage our kids.

As a general comment, cavities are caused by 2 major factors: Continue reading

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Don’t sweat the small stuff … and it’s all small stuff.” It was actually a book written by the late Dr. Richard Carlson and became one of the top-selling books for self-help.

Maybe the idea helped for some parts of life, but it’s totally wrong when it comes to cavities.

W-R-O-N-G Continue reading