What are the Best Oral Health Practices I Can Apply at School?

It may not be a big deal but putting an apple rather than a sugary snack in your child’s snack box can help improve his dental health and his performance at school. After all, kids consume more than 20 percent of their meals at school. Here at Mint Kids Dentistry, we remind parents to make better decisions when preparing your child’s school lunch.

Excessive consumption of sugar can harm your child’s oral and general health. Cookies, chewy fruit snacks and candies interact with bacteria in the plaque. The plaque forms at the surface of your teeth and in between your gums and teeth, generating acid that can erode enamel and cause tooth decay. Although sweets can give short-lived energy on your kids, such sugar rush turns into a crash, leaving kids feeling sleepy and lethargic. This isn’t the kind of mental state children need when preparing for an afternoon class.

Mint Kids Dentistry recommends these oral health practices for school.

1.       After taking breakfast and before leaving for school, be sure your child brushes well using a fluoridated toothpaste. Brushing immediately after a smell will clean the teeth and gums and get rid of halitosis or bad breath.

2.       Pack healthy and nutritious lunch food and snacks in your child’s lunch box. These include lean meats, low-fat yogurt, whole grain breads, baked chips, whole-grain crackers, apples and carrots. Aside from being full of nutrients, certain veggies and fruits can help clean the teeth and gums. Just make sweet treats a treat. Cakes, cookies, bars and sugary snacks should only be given in moderation.

3.       If your child likes to chew gum and the school permits it, chewing sugar-free gum for several minutes during lunchtime, before the afternoon classes. This will help stimulate secretion of saliva to neutralize the acid and help remove food residue from the mouth. Chewing gum that contains the natural sweetener Xylitol is a good choice since based on studies, it has been shown that consistent exposure to Xylitol can help fight cavity-causing bacteria.

4.       Kids wearing braces must rinse or try to brush their teeth after taking lunch. Children wearing removable retainers should also clean their teeth and retainers after every meal.

5.       Before the school year begins, parents must schedule visit to their kids’ pediatric dentist to ensure that there are no dental issues to distract their children throughout the school year. You may ask the dentist on sealants as a way to prevent any tooth cavities from developing. Sealants are thin coating of bonding material that is applied over the molar teeth, acting as a barrier to cavity-causing bacteria.

What are Some Dental Tips for My Kids This Thanksgiving?

Birthdays, holidays and other special occasions are times when we catch up with family, friends and loved ones. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and we often celebrate this time of the year by preparing sumptuous goods that everyone enjoys.

But the feast shouldn’t be a reason to forget that we also have to be careful with the food we eat, especially for children. This will help prevent problems relating to dental health. For sure, dealing with dental-related problems can spoil a happy gathering.

Below are some useful tips to help you, as parents, prevent any dental-related problems.

Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water, particularly when eating sweet foods. This will help eliminate food particles that get stuck between your teeth and prevent buildup of plaque. Furthermore, drinking water can help stimulate saliva production that help fight dental cavities. Compared to soda and juices, water is still the best fluid to drink.

Avoid sticky foods

Foods that are too acidic, sweet and sticky can cause immense harm to the teeth. This type of foods can create an ideal place for bacteria to destroy tooth enamel and infect the gums. If you cannot avoid eating these foods, be sure to wash your mouth with water after eating them, or brush your teeth 30 minutes after consuming those foods to eliminate any debris.

Avoid eating or snacking too frequently

The company of loved ones and friends can be very enjoyable, with all the chitchatting and drinking. With this, you may not avoid having continuous snacking or eating. But beware. The reason is that since you keep on exposing your teeth to acids present in food, it may cause bacteria to build up in the mouth, causing cavities.

Be sure to brush and floss

When visiting a friend or loved one for a gathering, make sure to bring your toothbrush and dental floss with you to make sure you and your child maintain optimal oral health. Remember that it’s necessary to be diligent on your dental hygiene, especially during celebrations such as Thanksgiving. You can also bring Xylitol, a sugarless gum and chew this after eating a meal. Sugar-free gums can eliminate food debris left on your teeth and help with digestion by stimulating saliva production.

After the gathering, visit your dentist

Holidays and other celebrations are the best times of the year, yet these are the times when people experience more dental-related problems. If you are concerned about dental cavities and gum problems, consider seeing your dentist as soon as possible. The dentist will check your mouth and do professional cleaning to make sure plaque buildup and other dental issues will be addressed. This will also help avoid further dental complications from happening in the future.

How Can I Keep Proper Dental Care on Halloween?

Halloween is just around the corner, and for most kids, it means a bucket of free treats and sweets. It’s no surprise that Halloween present parents with various health and safety challenges, most especially with their kids’ dental health. Though it’s fine to eat candies on Halloween, it is best to have a plan.

To help your family keep those pearls healthy and strong on Halloween, here are some tips for you.

Choose wisely

Not all candies and sweets are the same, some are far worse than other when it comes to your teeth and gums’ health. If you are going to indulge this coming Halloween, eliminate the treats that are considered to be worst such as sticky treats like taffy and caramels, and hard candies as they tend to linger on your teeth spaces causing more damage.

Set Limits

This is very important. Do not let your child eat treats subconsciously while playing with friends or watching TV. Instead, give only on particular times such as after having a meal as the saliva produced during your meal will help remove the candy bits and sugar, hence lowering the risk of cavities. Another way is to have your child choose only a few of their favorites from the treat bag and allow them to eat sweet after a meal for just a week after Halloween, and then, donate the rest. Many dentists in the US joint the Halloween Buyback Program where candies are collected and sent to people in the military. When you donate your candy treats, your pediatric dentist might give you a new toothbrush in exchange.

Don’t Forget to Brush

But don’t hurry to brush your teeth after eating a few treats. Some candies are acidic and can soften the enamel, so brushing it right after eating can damage your teeth, risking damaging your enamel while still sensitive. Wait a bit before brushing your teeth. Instead of brushing, better drink water to rinse the sugar sticking on your eat and wait for at least 30 minutes before brushing.

Be Careful in Doing the Costumes

It isn’t just the treats that could damage your little ones teeth during Halloween. Be particularly careful with what you place on their teeth when it comes to costuming. When decorating your child’s teeth, use only those made for use in their mouth. Think more than twice when using prosthetics or fake fangs on your child. Though they may not cause any tooth cavities, there have been many cases of these products containing high levels of toxic chemicals such as lead. Talk to your pediatric dentist if you need any Halloween tips that concerns prosthetics or any kind of makeup on your teeth.