Taming The Sweet Tooth
A sweet tooth is when you get a hankering or craving for something sweet. Adults get them and so do children. Recent studies show that children may be biologically wired to crave something sweet to gain the energy they need to grow. During growth spurts, children may get a sweet tooth more often. However, with the abundance of candy, sweetened cereal, and junk food, the craving for sweet energy drifts away from natural fruit towards the unhealthy stuff. Processed sugar increases the risk for obesity, diabetes, cavities, and other health problems. Developing healthy habits at a young age can set children up for healthy habits through life.
Resetting dessert habits
A habit could be formed where the sweet tooth comes out after a meal. Bodies become conditioned to expect dessert after the savory food. Try serving dessert along side dinner. Keep the portion small, and prevent seconds from happening. Having the piece of chocolate between the chicken and the green beans can start to re-train the brain from the post-meal dessert craving.
Rethink the drinks
Soda is loaded with sugar. Even natural fruit juice can be very sugary. A small glass of juice in the morning is okay if it is balanced out with water for the rest of the day. Save the sugary drinks for special occasions.
Mindful meal choices
Breakfast can be the most sugary meal of the day between pancakes and syrup, sweet cereal, or flavored yogurt. Being mindful of labels can help. Incorporate more eggs and savory elements into breakfast. Throughout the day, check the labels on everything and find more natural alternatives. You would be surprised how much added sugar could be in bread or peanut butter.
Protection from bad choices
On the special occasions with the special treats, remember to drink lots of water. Water will help the mouth to produce saliva to rinse harmful bacteria away. Brushing and flossing twice a day is super important to prevention, as well as regular visits to the dentist.
A sugar tooth can be tamed
Dr. Marr can help protect your child’s teeth even from a sugar tooth. Schedule a visit to Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, by calling 214-321-4880. We proudly welcome patients from Dallas, TX, and all surrounding communities, including Casa Linda, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Forest Hills, East Dallas, Mesquite, Garland, Richardson, and more.
Will Thumb-Sucking Affect My Child’s Teeth?
Thumb-sucking is a natural, soothing reflex for children. Babies often suck on their thumbs, fingers, pacifiers, or other objects as a way to feel calm. They often do it before falling asleep. In fact, thumb-sucking often happens when babies are still in the womb. Children usually stop sucking on their thumbs or pacifiers between the ages of two and four years old. Generally, a pacifier habit is a bit easier to break because it can be taken away. A thumb is always available for the child. What happens if a thumb-sucking habit is not broken? (more…)
Don’t Forget About Mouthguards!
Do you have kids who love being active? Yep, we thought so! As you’ve noticed, your little ones love to be on the move and this commonly includes joining sports teams and taking up other athletic ventures. What you might not have considered yet, however, is the fact that it’s wonderful for your children to enjoy themselves through sports, it also presents a bit of an oral health hazard. Just about anything that can end up coming into powerful contact with your child’s smile can lead to injury. So, what to do? Learn more.
Product Choices: Why Let Kids Get Involved?
Do you generally speed through the store when you’re picking up personal care items, tossing dental hygiene products into the cart as you rush? If so, we’re guessing you’re not letting your kids get in on the decision making. While you may have a lot to do in a single day and not a lot of time to do it, we encourage you to include them when possible. Why you wonder? Let us explain!
Need A Clean Slate? We Can Help.
Do you feel like everything that could possibly go wrong with your kids’ dental care is going wrong? We know that brushing, flossing, and scheduling visits with little ones isn’t always a walk in the park! However, before you find yourself feeling completely overwhelmed, we’d like you to consider something: You can give yourself a clean slate, start fresh, and adjust your outlook! As a result, it’s easy to get things back on track and feel rejuvenated, all while ensuring your kids’ smiles stay in beautiful condition. Allow us to help!
Summertime Seeds: Eat Fruit Safely!
What better snack to offer up to your little ones than fruit this summer season? It’s refreshing, much healthier than other sweet treats, and it happens to taste amazing! While we certainly have no desire to steer you away from ensuring your kids get their daily intake of fruit, we do want to remind you that there are some possible dangers that you can easily avoid when it comes to the berries, melons, and other snacks you’re handing over. Namely: Seeds! Rest assured, our suggestions are simple and will keep your children’s oral health safe.
3 Ways to Be Kind to Your Teeth
Who doesn’t want to add more kindhearted moments to their life? It may mean taking a breath and thinking before your speak, or letting the other person go first in line. There are lots of opportunities to be kind at home—even extending to seemingly small things like how you care for your teeth. Share these pointers to your young ones, and help them practice kind techniques as well. The smiles in your whole family will benefit from this thoughtful care. (more…)
Don’t Overlook The Reason Your Child Loathes Flossing
You might think that your child simply cannot stand flossing as a general rule. However, you might be overlooking some little details that can turn your child into someone who is more than happy to floss every day. So, toss out the notion that this whole flossing during dental hygiene thing is going to turn into a lifelong struggle and, instead, come to us for advice. For the time being, get started with some details that may truly help.
3 Reasons Masking Problems Isn’t A Good Plan
Especially when you’re doing your best to keep your little ones smiling, unworried about their oral health, and then you’re also taking care of the endless list of tasks required of daily life (every single day), it’s often easy to sweep issues under the rug. One of the easiest ways to do this when it comes to smile concerns? Masking the problem, whether with pain relief, rationalization, or otherwise! Consider a few reasons why this isn’t your best plan (and call us immediately to schedule an appointment)!
Kids And Ice: Our Reminders
As summer approaches, you can almost hear the clinking of ice cubes in tall glasses of refreshing beverages. While relying on ice is an easy and calorie-free way to keep drinks cold, it might not be the type of thing you want your little ones getting their cute tiny fingers on. Why not? Well, ice presents an oral health hazard to everyone. Consider some reminders as they apply to your kids for some direction.