Holiday Oral Health Care for Kids

Take the fright out of holiday sweets with these
oral care tips.

With Halloween just behind us, and other holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, etc. on the horizon, this is a good time to consider holiday oral health care tips for our children.  
With tooth decay being the most common chronic childhood disease, it is so important to teach your child about the harm too much candy can cause on their teeth and gums and what you and they can do to help prevent it.

Every time we eat, bacteria in our mouths interact with food, creating and acidic by-product which can attack enamel. Sugar creates an especially acidic byproduct, which is why sugary/sticky foods and drinks are more likely to create decay. 

This is even more true between meals, because this is when your mouth produces the least amount of saliva to combat and neutralize the acids.

Here are some oral health care tips to combat the effects of sugar:
• Save sugary treats for after mealtime: This is when the amount of saliva produced in the mouth is greatest, reducing the effects of acidic attacks.
 
• Consider serving dairy products with treats:  Dairy products such as milk and cheese act as buffers to the acids produced by oral bacteria.
 
• Flossing regularly:  Candy often gets stuck between the teeth, making these areas more susceptible to decay.
 
• Drink lots of water:  Water also acts as a buffer in the oral cavity and can also rinse away some of the sugary contents in the mouth.