Things You Can Do to Teach Your Child to Avoid Cavities

Posted July 23, 2019

Brushing and flossing teeth every day is important. In fact, it’s one of the first lessons we teach children about good dental hygiene, along with visiting the dentist regularly for routine checkups and cleanings. However, successfully preventing cavities often requires more than just good basic hygiene. At our Dallas, TX, children’s dental office, we can help you teach your children to prevent cavities more effectively by offering a few tips on showing them ways to keep their smiles consistently healthy.

Get them used to healthy candy alternatives

Candy is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to children’s cavity risks. Restricting your child’s candy intake is one way to avoid it. However, this can make children more likely to indulge more heavily whenever they’re given the chance. Instead, teach children to crave healthier, tastier snacks than candy, such as dried fruits and nuts, yogurt, apples, oranges, bananas, and other natural foods that aren’t loaded with sugar and preservatives.

Introduce more dairy in their meals and snacks

Helping children learn to crave things other than candy is an excellent start, and will go a long way in helping reduce their exposure to sugars that lead to cavity development. However, they also need strong, healthy tooth enamel to effectively repel the oral bacteria that cause cavities. Foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products are often rich in calcium and phosphate, which are building blocks to healthy tooth enamel. Introduce a variety of dairy products in your child’s meals and snacks, especially milk, to promote stronger and more resilient tooth enamel development.

Make visits to the dentist an important routine

No matter how old you are, regular dental checkups and cleanings are one of the most important factors in preventing cavities and other dental health issues. Teaching children to stick to a schedule of preventive visits mean starting that schedule as early as possible. Usually, children should start attending regular checkups and cleanings by the age of three years old, and doing so for the rest of their lives is paramount to keeping their smiles healthy and cavity-free.

Learn more about teaching kids to prevent cavities

Children can become as effective as adults at preventing cavities if their taught how at an early age. For more information, schedule an appointment by calling Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880. We proudly serve patients who live around Casa Linda and all surrounding Dallas communities.