Varnished Teeth Have Fewer Cavities

More than 10% of all children suffer from early childhood caries (tooth decay in the primary teeth). Although this condition used to be called “baby bottle tooth decay,” based on the idea that it was caused by frequent consumption of drinks such as juice and soft drinks containing sugar from a baby bottle, dentists now recognize that early childhood caries is caused by multiple factors, including the presence of bacteria that cause caries.

Teeth both lose and gain enamel constantly. One way to encourage tooth remineralization is through the use of fluoride products. We may apply a fluoride varnish to your child’s teeth semiannually or annually during well-care visits.

A recent study reconfirmed that fluoride varnish can help reduce caries in young children. The children received fluoride varnish on all surfaces of their primary teeth at six well-child visits. When the children were 4½ years old, their teeth were checked on all surfaces for evidence of caries. The results were compared to a similar group of children who had not received fluoride varnish.

·         Children who received no fluoride varnish treatments averaged more than 23 tooth surfaces with evidence of early childhood caries.

·         Children who received 1, 2 or 3 treatments had results similar to the children who did not receive any treatments.

·         Children who received 4, 5 or 6 treatments had approximately 35% fewer tooth surfaces with caries

·         These results were consistent regardless of the child’s sex or age when the treatments began.

Compared with the cost of dental work, fluoride varnish is an inexpensive preventive measure. Although it cannot eliminate tooth decay by itself, fluoride varnish can help protect the primary teeth by reducing the amount of early childhood caries. Talk to us about this dental treatment at your child’s next visit.