Philly Kids are Most Vulnerable to Tooth Decay

According to the St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, about 25 percent of all children in the country aged two to five suffer from a dental disease. However, some cities like Philadelphia have it much worse: approximately 80 percent of all kids of the same age group in North Philly have untreated dental diseases, particularly tooth decay. One contributor to this statistic is that some schools in the area have either closed down or cut down on their staff, staff who could have very well given them access to dental exams.

Without the intervention of a reliable pediatric dentist, a simple tooth decay can lead to bleeding gums or the loss of the entire tooth. Even by itself, tooth decay can cause tremendous amounts of pain to children that they find it difficult to eat or sleep. Worse still is that some children can suffer from speech impediments as talking becomes painful for them. As such, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see tooth decay as being among the number one cause of school absences in the country.

Kids generally suffer from tooth decay because of their constant eating of sugary and acidic foods. However, it can also be caused by poor oral hygiene. Even having a dry mouth can also lead to this dental disease because not enough saliva is being produced; saliva contains minerals that naturally clean and repair the teeth after every meal.