Healthy Teeth

A healthy snack is always a great addition to any diet, but some healthy foods are terrible for teeth. Try limiting these damaging “healthy” foods in your child’s diet to help them maintain a healthy smile.

1 - Trail Mix

A fantastic substitute for unhealthy snack foods is trail mix. But, be careful! If you decide to serve your child trail mix, look out for unhealthy ingredients that can add unhealthy amounts of sugar and fat to their plate. Try to avoid trail mix that has chocolate, dried fruit, and candy. Look for mixes that are unflavored and don’t contain any added sweets.

2 - Dried Fruit

Fruit is always great, right? Wrong! Dried fruit is a food that you should avoid if you’re trying to improve your child’s oral health. Dried fruit contains much higher levels of sugar than their natural counterparts, and none of the water that helps make fruit so healthy. Let’s use prunes as an example. Prunes are just dried plums, except just one cup of prunes contains more than 400 calories and 45 grams of sugar. However, one plum contains just 75 calories and 16 grams of sugar. The bottom line is that you should choose fresh fruit and not dried fruit.

3 - Citrus Fruits

Fruit can be great for improving health, but it can sometimes damage teeth. Citric fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemon and tangerines have a high amount of acid in them which can lead to tooth enamel erosion. If you serve your child citrus fruits, rinse their mouth out with water after they’re done eating to wash the acid away, and help prevent cavities from forming.

4 - Granola 

Granola is typically advertised as a healthier alternative to cereal that people can add into their milk or yogurt for an added dietary benefit. But here’s what they’re not advertising: granola typically contains high amounts of sugar and fat. The added sugar can lead to tooth decay, and the high density of calories can leave your child hungry and cause them to overeat.  

If you do choose granola, compare the nutritional values of your options and choose the one with the highest fiber content, and lowest amount of sugar.

Try Cheese or Fibrous Fruits! 

Cheese is high in calcium, which promotes strong teeth. But the benefits of cheese don’t end there. It also contains a protein called casein, which strengthens tooth enamel and helps to prevent cavities. Cheese also helps prevent acid from destroying tooth enamel.

Fibrous fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, celery and nuts are fantastic snacks that are healthy for teeth. That’s because the fibrous nature of these foods allow them to scrub teeth as they’re eaten, which cleans teeth of damaging sugar and acid buildup on the tooth’s surface.

2019 is almost here, and it’s time to share our favorite mouth healthy habits that will help your family achieve oral health in the new year!

1 – Establish and Maintain a Proper Oral Health Routine 

Food debris left on your child’s teeth encourages bacteria growth that eats away at enamel and causes cavities. This is why it’s important to have a steady, consistent oral health routine. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends children brush twice per day, for two minutes at a time, and floss once per day to clean debris from the hard-to-reach areas of their teeth. A proper oral health routine is the best way to keep a mouth clean, and prevents a lot of oral health ailments. 

2 – Drink More Water – Seriously

Water is a fantastic tool in the fight against bad bacteria and tooth decay. Water is not acidic, and does not harm teeth at all. In fact, it improves saliva production, which naturally cleans teeth of debris and restores the mouth back to a healthy ph balance. Try giving your child more water instead of sugary drinks to help keep their teeth strong and healthy.  If they must have juice or a sweeter drink, water it down so that they aren’t consuming too much sugar at one time.

3 - Eat a Mouth-Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is critical to getting a healthy mouth. Mouth-healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts and calcium-rich items can all strengthen teeth. When buying fruit and vegetables, make sure that you purchase them in their full-forms, and that you don’t buy fruit packaged in sugary syrup. Try adding fibrous vegetables like celery, spinach or carrots to your child’s diet, since fibrous food naturally scrubs teeth clean of food debris, and combats bad bacteria buildup.

4 - Replace Worn Out Toothbrushes

It can be difficult to know when to replace your child’s old toothbrush with a new one. But, there are some signs that indicate it’s time for a change. If your child’s toothbrush bristles are frayed, or pluming outward, then it’s time for a new toothbrush. If your child recently had an illness, then it’s best to replace their toothbrush to prevent the spread of unhealthy bacteria. Finally, a good rule of thumb to follow is to replace your child’s toothbrush after 3 months of use.

Stay Mouth Healthy Next Year 

One of the best ways to keep your children’s oral in order is by scheduling an appointment with our office every six months for a routing oral checkup and cleaning. The holidays are the perfect time for an appointment since most children have an extended break from school.  

Keeping teeth clean is a full time job – especially for parents of young children. Here are our top tips for keeping young teeth healthy and clean! 

Use the Right Tooth Cleaning Tools 

Your child needs the right tools in their oral health arsenal to protect their teeth from cavities and tooth decay. Be sure that they have a toothbrush with soft bristle, and a handle that easily fits in their hand. Also, try to make sure that their toothbrush is in working order, and replace it if the bristles have plumed outward. Try to only buy toothbrushes and toothpaste that has the ADA seal of approval, so that they are is getting the best product possible for their oral health.

Maintain a Good Oral Health Routine 

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends children brush twice per day, for two minutes at a time, and floss once per day to clean debris from the hard-to-reach areas of their teeth. A proper oral health routine is the best way to keep a mouth clean, and prevents a lot of oral health ailments.

Protect Teeth During Sports 

While playing sports, your child is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to their teeth when they aren’t wearing a mouth guard. That’s insane! Oral injuries are very common in young athletes and range from broken teeth to jaw damage and can even result in a concussion. That’s why it’s strongly recommended that children and teenagers (and adults too) should wear a mouth guard to protect their teeth and jaw while playing sports. Mouth guards – sometimes called mouth protectors – work by helping cushion a blow to the face, and minimizing the risk of breaking teeth, or lacerating a lip, tongue or cheek. 

Replace Sugary Drinks with Water 

Sugar feeds harmful bacteria on teeth, and creates acid that erodes enamel. This causes plaque and ultimately cavities, which is why you should limit the amount of sugary beverages you consume. Avoid colas, sports drinks and fruit juices, most of which are packed with sugar and terrible for teeth. Instead, substitute sugary drinks for water, which rinses teeth of food debris, and stimulates saliva production. Saliva naturally keeps teeth clean, and encourages a healthy oral ph balance.

Schedule a Dental Checkup Every Six Months 

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children visit the pediatric dentist every six months. This helps your child get ahead of any potential oral health concerns, and helps them learn more about maintaining a healthy mouth.

Visit Our Office 

The best way to help your child get into a lifestyle that supports healthy teeth is by visiting our office. We’ll check the state of their teeth, and provide any treatments we think necessary to help them achieve perfect oral health.   

Flossing is incredibly important to keep the spaces between teeth clean, which are often neglected. If your child doesn’t floss regularly, then their teeth – and overall health – could suffer.  

Excessive Plaque and Cavities

If your child is not flossing, then plaque can build up between their teeth and lead to cavities. Plaque is colorless and difficult to see. When you eat, the bacteria in plaque use the sugars found in your food to create an acid that attacks your teeth. Repeated acidic attacks can wear down tooth enamel and lead to cavities, gingivitis and periodontal disease.  

Tartar Buildup

Excessive plaque buildup can eventually turn into tartar – a hard, dark substance that can make it harder to clean teeth. Tartar buildup can cause gum disease, and lead to serious gum infections. These infections can damage the tissue that holds teeth in place, and lead to tooth loss. Additionally, tartar can’t be brushed or flossed away like plaque, and can only be removed by professional dental treatment. 

Bleeding Gums

Not brushing and flossing regularly can cause swollen, sensitive gums that bleed when they are brushed. Bleeding gums are often an early indication of gingivitis, otherwise known as gum disease. Plaque between teeth that is not flossed away can infect the gum line and lead to gingivitis.  

If your child has tender, swollen gums that bleed when they brush or floss, then it’s time to schedule an appointment and evaluate their oral health. Gum disease is very treatable and can be prevented by regular brushing and flossing. 

Our Favorite Flossing Tips

Here’s a basic guide that will help you floss your children’s teeth: 

1. Use about 12-18 inches of dental floss. If that is too difficult, try using flossing tools like soft flossing picks. 
2. Use wide, flat dental tape to floss your children’s teeth. The width of the floss helps with the larger spaces in children’s teeth. 
3. Be gentle when flossing children’s teeth, and avoid applying too much pressure on their gums. 
4. Floss both sides of the teeth, and make sure to gently dip beneath the gum lime.  

For more detailed flossing pointers, check out this handy flossing guide provided by the ADA.  

Begin Flossing Early

Recent studies have found that 43% of school-aged children have never flossed. To help familiarize your child with flossing, begin flossing their teeth as soon as their first two teeth touch. It’s important to get into a healthy mouth care routine with your children at an early age so that they can brush and floss as they get older and become more independent. 

If your child is uncomfortable flossing, then schedule an appointment with our office. We’ll help teach them about the proper way to floss in a relaxed way that encourages them to take action in their oral health.