Kids and cavities, from Hilgers Pediatric Dentistry

Last week, you may remember Dr. Kelly Hilgers and team blogging about the importance of your child visiting us regularly. Well, we recently read an interesting article in the New York Times pertaining to kids and cavities. Under a new Massachusetts law, kids in day care there are now required to brush their teeth or have them brushed by a staffer. The article also points out that cavities are much more prevalent among young children today than they were a decade ago. The law was enacted partly because studies have shown one-third of children in the U.S. have cavities—that's right, multiple—by age three to five. In fact, cavities are much more prevalent among young children today than they were a decade ago.

Cavities, of course, can lead to severe tooth pain, eating problems and tooth loss, among other problems, and that's why the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says it's vital for children to visit a dentist by their first birthday. Has your little one visited Hilgers Pediatric Dentistry yet? If your child is one or nearing his or her first birthday, it may be time to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kelly or Dr. Mathieu.