Better Hygiene, Fewer Cavities in 2020

The last word any parent wants to hear at the dentist is “cavity.” Cavities are the result of tooth decay, also known as dental caries. Cavities are among the most common health problems in the world. They can cause significant damage to your teeth and can cause painful toothaches, infections, and even tooth loss. Fortunately, you can avoid cavities with just a few simple steps.

Brush Daily

Make sure your children brush at least twice each day; brush more often if they are high risk for decay or they are in braces. Carry a portable or disposable toothbrush with you so that you can brush any food or sugar from their teeth when you are away from home. Switch to a toothbrush with triple-action bristles and diamond-shaped heads. These do a better job of removing food and sugar from hard-to-reach spaces around their teeth.

Avoid Sugary Drinks and Snacks

Bacteria living in your child’s mouth eat the sugar for energy. This produces acid as a byproduct and can dissolve the enamel of teeth to cause cavities. It’s important to stay away from foods that stick to teeth. NO GUMMIES!! Opt for a piece of cake instead of gummies. Sticky foods coat teeth in acid-forming sugars that increase the risk of cavities.

Cut out sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, juice, and milk with additives (i.e. chocolate, strawberry). Also, be aware that many non-dairy milks like almond milk and soy milk can contain a large number of sugars. Be sure your child drinks water after meals to remove food particles from between teeth.

Gummies and Gummy Vitamins

If you want to improve the health of your child, stop buying gummy vitamins! Vitamins and nutrients are essential to the growth and development of children. However, vitamins that are created with artificial dyes, high fructose corn syrup, dipped in sugar crystals and mixed with super sticky gelatin are not. Gummy vitamins can actually be detrimental to the growth and development of children, despite the packaging that labels them as healthy. 

From the moment they enter their mouths, gummy vitamins are wreaking havoc on children’s bodies. For years now, these supposedly healthy and delicious sugar bombs are damaging kid’s teeth across the country. You wouldn’t give your kid a bag of skittles to improve their health, so you should not give them gummy vitamins either.

Sugar in General

You might be surprised to find out that sugar is in a lot of our foods, even foods you wouldn’t imagine. Sugar mixed with a dab of water becomes extra sticky. You’ve probably had the sticky residue on your fingers before, so you know what we mean. Now imagine this sugar clinging to teeth inside of your child’s mouth. The sugar will then begin to eat away at the teeth, causing them to rot, especially if they aren’t doing an absolute thorough brushing routine. Perhaps your child forgets to brush their teeth on Friday night, they wake up, watch cartoons on Saturday morning, and eat some sugary breakfast cereal. This not only means that the sugar has been eating away at their teeth all night but the mixture of old and new bacteria, as well as sugar, will wear away at their enamel faster.  

Fewer Cavities and Healthy Smiles in 2020

Take a pledge to make a step in the right direction for your child’s oral health in 2020. Stay far far away from gummies and sugary snacks, and be sure they keep up with their brushing and flossing routine. Help your children understand the importance of the foods they eat and the effect of their teeth. Contact us at Sunshine Smiles today to get your children on the right track for a healthy smile this year!