One of the Top Reasons Kids Miss School…

Dental Problems.

Toothaches are one of the main reasons children miss school or don’t perform well in school.

Toothaches can be very disruptive to learning! Did you know that a toothache can cause a child to score lower on tests and act out in class? Just imagine trying to sit through a math or social studies class with throbbing tooth pain!

Of course, many toothaches are linked to cavities. So it’s important for parents to know what’s causing those yucky cavities.

The 2 most common causes of cavities are:

1. Sugary drinks. This includes soda, milk (surprise) sports drinks like Gatorade and other beverages with natural sugars like fruit juice. Believe it or not, a can of apple juice has almost as much sugar as a can of soda! When you let your child sip on juice all day, you’re filling him with sugar.

2. Frequent snacking in between meals.

When a child has poor dental health, this can lead to other issues:

1. Nutritional problems. If your child has a toothache, she may not want to eat or chew, which could keep her from growing and developing properly.

2. Behavioral problems. If your child’s teeth are decaying, she may become irritable, withdrawn, and may not be able to concentrate in school. She could have issues speaking and test taking. And frankly, she could become a grouch at home, too!

It doesn’t take long for small issues with cavities to turn into big problems!

Instead of just trying to fight cavities, our focus at On the Cusp is preventing cavities (and other dental problems, too!). We want to prevent disease before it happens.

We start seeing kids when they are very young in order to start this process. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends you take your child to the dentist when the first tooth comes in, or no later than age 1.

Don’t wait to take your child to the dentist until he is pre-school or school aged, or the decay process may already be in full swing.

Let us help your child achieve all he can this school year by keeping his teeth clean and toothache-free!