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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.  

Halloween is a fantastic holiday for families to enjoy their neighborhoods, and gives children a chance to fill their jack-o-lanterns with some serious candy. As fun as it is for children, Halloween candy is terrible for teeth. Here’s why cavities thrive on Halloween candy, and how you can help your child enjoy their Halloween candy without ruining their teeth. 

Candy Tends to Stick Around 

This Halloween, your child will receive candy of all kinds – but try to be on the lookout for hard candy, since it can damage teeth. Hard candy can crack teeth, and it also tends to stick around longer than other candy, which exposes teeth to sugar for longer. Also watch out for sticky candy, which can get stuck in tooth crevices and stay around long after it’s been swallowed. Sticky candy is difficult to remove from teeth, and gives cavity-causing bacteria more time to eat away enamel.

Sour Candy is Packed with Acid 

Sour candy can leave teeth susceptible to cavities more so than any other candy. That’s because sour candy contains a high amount of acid, which is what makes it so sour. The acidity can eat away tooth enamel, and leave teeth vulnerable to cavities.

Candy is Full of Sugar – and Cavities Feed on Sugar 

Sugar feeds the harmful bacteria on your teeth, which creates an acid that erodes enamel. This causes plaque and ultimately cavities, which is why you should limit the number of Halloween treats your child enjoys.

Frequent Candy Consumption Hurts

Unchecked snacking on Halloween candy can expose teeth to a steady amount of sugar, which feeds bad bacteria that erodes tooth enamel and causes decay. Monitor your child’s Halloween candy intake, and make sure that they are drinking plenty of water, which will help wash away food debris and accumulated sugar. Or, give them a specific snack time to reduce overexposing their teeth to sugar. 

How to Help Your child Avoid Binging on Halloween Candy 

1 – limit the amount of candy your child has to a few pieces per day. 

2 – create a candy schedule where you can monitor when your child enjoys candy. 

3 – keep your children’s candy stashed away where only you can access it. 

4 – make sure your child brushes their teeth and flosses thoroughly after enjoying candy to remove any damaging food debris left behind. 

Be Sure to Brush this Halloween! 

This holiday season, be sure that your child maintains a positive oral health routine. It’s important that your children brush their teeth twice per day for two minutes and flosses once per day if you want to keep cavities away. This is especially important when consuming foods that contain high amounts of sugar.