7 tips for your children to avoid cavities this winter!

Halloween and the Holiday seasons are just around the corner, and that means many treats and sugary diets for your children.  Here are great tips to achieve great oral health for your little ones.

1.         Tooth brushing twice daily and flossing at least once a day. This tip may sound cliché but the key for the healthy teeth is as simple as brushing and flossing routinely. They key is to brush thoroughly and under supervision of the parents.  We recommend parents brush the teeth for their children and oversee their children brushing and flossing until the children can demonstrate their own brushing technique.  Flossing is highly recommended whenever two adjacent teeth are seen touching each other, which can be observed in children as young as 2-3 years old.

2.         Avoid sleeping with milk at the night time.  Ad libitum breastfeeding, or breast feeding by demand is associated with dental caries in infants.  Avoid letting the infants fall asleep while feeding after the first baby tooth erupts.  The infant teeth should always be wiped clean free of milk debris before placing the child to bed at night time.

3.         Pick healthy diets over sugary treats. Foods with high sugar content and starchy snacks are the common cause of tooth decay. Examples of tooth-friendly and healthy snacks for children include fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, whole grains, nuts and plain yogurt. 

4.         Watch for frequency and timing of snacks.  Consuming snacks with meals is safer to teeth than eating snacks in between the meals. Avoid sticky candies and lollipops that requires more processing time in the mouth. Giving your children snacks once a day is healthier than snacking throughout the day.

5.         Avoid transmission of bacteria that cause cavities. The bacteria that causes cavity, known as Streptococcus Mutans, can be transmitted by saliva.  Avoid sharing utensils with family members and friends who have history of cavities in the past 12 months.

6.         Protect the teeth with sealants. Dental sealants are a non-invasive and cost-effective way to prevent cavities in young children. Sealants are resin materials placed on indicated baby molars and adult teeth with deep pits and grooves. The proposes of sealants are to seal off deep pits and grooves for easy cleaning and to prevent foods and bacteria to get stuck on the tooth surface. 

7.         Visit their pediatric dentist every 6 months.  Children are not just a smaller version of adults. That is why monitoring the craniofacial and dental growth by dental professionals is important. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends the first dental visit by one year of age.  We recommend having your child’s teeth checked regularly by their pediatric dentist not only for tooth cleaning and fluoride, but also for diet recommendation, anticipatory guidance, cavity risk assessment and assessment of growth and development.

With these 7 tips in mind, now we know that maintaining healthy oral hygiene is easy, and it is possible for everyone to be free of cavities!