Oral Care Tips for the Holidays
Who doesn’t love the holidays (child and adult)—especially when they are accompanied by heaps of candy, treats and drinks? But with tooth decay the most common chronic childhood disease, it is important to teach your child early about the damage that too much of a yummy thing can inflict on their teeth and gums and what you can both do to help prevent it.
Every time we eat, bacteria interact with our food to produce acids that attack teeth, leading to decay. The more sugar, the more acid that gets produced, which is why sugary, sticky foods and beverages are more likely to create decay. This is especially true between meals, when the mouth produces less saliva to combat and neutralize the acids, allowing them to do more damage.
Here are some simple ways to combat the effects of sugar on your kid’s oral care:
- Save treats like candy, cookies and pies for after mealtime since this is when the amount of saliva produced in the mouth is greater and will therefore better help protect your child’s teeth.
- Dairy acts as a buffer to the acids produced by oral bacteria, decreasing the possibility of tooth decay. So consider serving your children milk or cheese with holiday candies and treats.
- Hard candy can get stuck between kids’ teeth, which can cause cavities. Flossing can help remove the candy particles. Try flossers adorned with your child’s favorite character to help make flossing fun.
- To help pace the amount of candy your child is consuming around holidays, store excess candy in a sealed container and establish set times when your child can have a treat.
- Encourage children to drink more water to help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, check the label for fluoride content. According to the American Dental Association, fluoridated water can reduce the number of cavities children get in their baby teeth.
With the Easter season here, we have a fun little experiment with hard boiled eggs to show how certain drinks and sugars can stain and weaken your teeth.
We all know that brushing and flossing are important ways to protect your teeth for the long run. Awareness is also important when indulging in different kinds of food and drinks, even if they are healthy overall for your body. Staining is a simple cosmetic deterioration of the teeth, but again, when associated with acidic enamel softening beverages, it can result in bigger problems like cavities and gum disease. The best advice is always to limit the consumption of certain foods altogether. Your smile will thank you later.
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