Your children always make you smile – their precocious and curious, kind and smart, and as loving as you could possibly get. Since these little ones are the apples of your eye, when you beam with pride about your son and daughter, you immediately think about their teeth. Sure, you know that they should brush twice a day and floss, too, but what about nutrition? Since kids are inundated with sweets – and their already at an increased risk for tooth decay due to developing hand-eye coordination – you premier children’s dentist in Norwood, Central Dental Associates, offers helpful tips on what and how to eat to prevent cavities and to set your kids up for a lifetime of dental success.
Dental Do’s: What Should Kids Incorporate To Prevent Cavities?
To give your kids a fighting chance in the battle against tooth decay, try these strategies from our experts:
- Say cheese – this savory treat is a great way to help keep teeth strong on the inside and the outside. It helps saliva remineralize teeth and is full of calcium to make teeth and bones durable.
- Use dairy products and leafy greens as much as possible since these are loaded with calcium and other minerals to help keep smiles shining bright. Try veggie –based snacks instead!
- When your kids do enjoy their sweets, try the following to minimize the impact of sugar:
- Eat all the sweet treats their allowed to have in one day in one sitting – this will decrease the length of plaque acid attacks to enamel.
- Have your kids brush their teeth after they eat sugary snacks or eat them right before your kids would normally engage in their oral hygiene routine.
Dental Don’ts: What Should Kids Avoid To Stay Cavity-Free?
Our team of respected kid’s dentist in Norwood advise parents to follow this tips below and avoid the following to lessen the odds of tooth decay for your children:
- Limit sugary and high carbohydrate treats like cookies, candies, and potato chips – since these break down in the mouth immediately, your kids can face enamel problems if they indulge in these too often.
- Minimize snacking if you can. Eating constantly prevents saliva from remineralizing teeth and doing the job nature intended for it – preventing cavities.
- Beware of liquid sweets like sodas and fruit juices – these essentially bathe your child’s teeth in sugar with every sip.
- Never put a sweetened liquid in a baby bottle, and make sure kids only fall asleep with a bottle filled with water – even formula and breastmilk have sugars that can lead to cavities.
If you follow these suggestions, you can help your child’s smile stay healthy and bright in between dental visits. And remember – even if your child takes excellent care of their teeth at home, there’s no substitute for professional dental care every six months, so schedule an appointment for your son or daughter with Central Dental Associates today!