2 Ways To Help Your Child Fight Cavities

3 May 2023
Categories: Dentist, Blog

When your children are just babies, you start teaching them how to take care of their teeth by brushing them and taking your child to the dentist regularly. Your goal is to keep them from having cavities or from having to get any fillings. You want your children to have healthy teeth for the rest of their life. You can get them started with good habits that will help to avoid cavities now and help them stay with those habits as they get older.

Avoid Sugary Foods and Drinks

Sugar doesn't necessarily attack your teeth, but it does give plaque a food source. Sugary foods and drinks can also leave a film on your teeth, which can lead to cavities. When people talk about sugary foods and drinks, they go with the obvious, like soda and candy, but those aren't the only things. Even healthy foods like fruits and juice are sugary. Fruit juices can be diluted with water, which can help cut the sugar content some. Another thing to do is drink or swish water around in your mouth after eating sugary foods and drinks. It will help to rinse the sugar out if you can't get your teeth brushed immediately. You should never give your child a bottle of juice to take to bed with them because the sugars will just sit on their teeth while they sleep.

Chew Sugarless Gum

You might not realize that chewing sugarless gum can help fight cavities, but it can. The reason it can is that it contains an ingredient called xylitol. Among other things, xylitol promotes saliva production. This helps fight cavities because saliva helps wash away the bacteria responsible for tooth decay. Your salvia also has components that can help to stop and even repair the very early stages of tooth decay. If you can't brush your teeth right after you eat, for whatever reason, you can pop a piece of sugarless gum and chew it for a little while and let your saliva do its job. Be aware that some people have issues with xylitol, which can cause digestive distress. If it gives you problems, you will have to weigh the pros and cons of both sides of using it.

Helping your child learn good habits can keep them from getting cavities when they are young and older and you aren't there to watch over their shoulders.

For more information about cavities, contact a local dentist.

About Me

When I was a child and teenager, I always left the dentist's office with the great feeling of having no cavities. When I went away to college out-of-state, I had to switch to a new dentist in my area. It seemed like I was suddenly getting cavities and started wonder what my new dentist "was doing wrong". When I spoke to my mother about it, she reminded me that the reason I never had cavities when I was living it home was because she always made sure my siblings and I brushed and flossed daily and didn't eat too much sugar. I then realized that my late-night study sessions drinking sugary soda and my suddenly bad brushing habits were the true causes of my cavities. I have since learned a lot more about dental health I am eager to share with anyone who needs the advice!