Will we ever be Cavity Free??? It's in the future!

I saw a plaque that read “you are entering a stress-free zone”.  I want a plaque outside my office that reads “you are entering a cavity-free zone”.  But I won’t just make such a plaque, we have to earn it.  I think we can focus our practice on that goal.  There are other more lofty goals like ending world hunger, but this is one I think is within our ability to affect.  Too many pre-school children grow too many cavities that have to be restored.  Let’s change that.

Will we ever witness an end to dental cavities?

Will we ever witness an end to dental cavities?  Will we be able to prevent tooth decay? 

We are close.  Researchers at UCLA and other institutions around the world are focusing their attention solely on finding the cause of, and the solution to, this devastating disease of childhood.  As pediatric dentists, we see the devastation in our offices each day.  I don’t speak of devastation on the level of a typhoon that recently hit Philippines.  But cavities leave scars, both physical and emotional.

Personally, my greatest reward is seeing my patients come and go with smiling faces.  It is disturbing to me personally that some children will come with smiles and leave with tears because our services include numbing their mouths and drilling tiny holes in their heads.  I don’t believe that any child enjoys dental work when a “drill” is involved.   Some may be pretty good at ignoring the discomfort of noise and vibration, but at some level they all hurt at least a little.  Children of five and under haven’t learned to ignore the discomfort and usually let us know loudly and clearly.  There can be no mistake…a child of four or five crying and resisting during dental treatment is crying for help.

What can we do?  With moms and dads on board, we can make a difference today.  We can test for a child’s risk for developing cavities.  We can use minerals directly applied to tooth surfaces at home to reduce the progression of decay.  We can alter eating habits by replacing acidic foods with foods that will reduce the activity of decay-causing bacteria in the mouth and reduce acidity.  Where there is no acid, there is no decay.  It works, we have seen it work.  We just have to get past the notion that cavities are inevitable and not preventable and to the knowledge that cavities can, and should, be eliminated.  

Robert R. Smith, DDS