3 Things Your Child Should Avoid for Healthier Teeth

Posted July 16, 2020

When many parents think of their child’s dental health, common things like teaching them to brush and floss their teeth often come to mind first. However, much like keeping your own teeth consistently healthy, helping your child optimize their oral health often includes helping them avoid certain things that could increase their risks of developing oral health concerns. Today, we explore three things you should help your child avoid in order to help keep their smiles healthy on a consistent basis.

1. Too much sugar in their snacks and beverages

There’s a good reason why your child’s dentist emphasizes the danger of eating too much candy. It’s loaded with sugar that can overfeed oral bacteria and fuel their production of harmful acids, which then systematically erode your child’s tooth enamel. However, candy isn’t the only thing that contains enough sugar to cause this. Other foods, such as donuts, cakes, and most packaged snacks, contain plenty of sugars and other carbs that oral bacteria react to similarly. Be cautious of these, and introduce healthier, more natural alternatives into your child’s meals and snacking routine.

2. Chewing on toys, pencils, and other things

Eating too much sugar is a threat mainly because it speeds up the erosion of your child’s tooth enamel. Yet, this isn’t the only way that your child might compromise the protective layer around their teeth and expose their tooth structure to harmful oral bacteria. If your child has a habit of chewing on inedible things, such as toys, pens, pencils, ice, or other things, they may be directly damaging their tooth enamel before you realize it. Such a habit can lead to, or be an indication of, a bruxism problem, which can result in your child chronically grinding their teeth together.

3. Skipping routine dental appointments

By doing all you can to keep your child’s teeth healthy at home, you can improve their chances of avoiding having to deal with any significant oral health concerns. However, this also includes making sure your child attends a preventive dental checkup and cleaning appointment at least once every six months as part of their hygiene routine. Professional checkups and cleanings are the only way to remove tartar, or calcified plaque, that your child might leave behind when brushing and flossing their teeth. It’s also key to detecting any potential problems early and addressing them to preserve your child’s oral health more successfully.

Learn how to keep your child’s teeth healthy

In addition to regular brushing and flossing, keeping your child’s smile healthy can also require helping avoid things that could be detrimental to their teeth. To learn more, 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.