One Day at a Time - One Good Choice at a Time

We thought this was a great blog post with overall tips to improve your dental health.

How to Improve Your Overall Dental Health

Based on that new research, here are a few dental health tips you might not have heard before:

1. Get a new angle on things. When brushing your teeth, the position of the bristles matters. The head should be at a 45-degree angle near the gum line, and again when you go to clean the inside surfaces of your teeth.
2. Give your tongue some attention. Plaque and bacteria can gather on, around, and under your tongue too. Clean the surface of your tongue daily, either with your toothbrush or with a tongue cleaner. This will also help prevent bad breath!
3. Seal off trouble. Sealants are thin protective coatings applied to the back teeth that can help prevent decay and cavities (caries). Sealants are an especially good idea for kids, who often have trouble reaching their back teeth while brushing.
4. Suit up those teeth. Sports are good for our bodies, but they also provide opportunities for bangs, bumps, and crashes. In fact, most school teams now require children to wear mouth guards to safeguard teeth, especially for rougher sports. So it’s not a bad idea to have one yourself, for any sort of recreational activities. This is true even if it’s not a team sport – skateboarding, rock climbing, or even just hitting a ball against a wall can all present a threat to your teeth.
5. Make fluoride earn its keep. You should already be using a toothpaste with fluoride. But you might not be receiving its benefits if you rinse with mouthwash right after you brush. Mouthwash can rinse away fluoride before it has a chance to work, so wait 15 minutes or let the fluoride get to work on your enamel.
6. Chew your way to better dental health. Chewing sugar-free gum after eating or drinking can help protect your teeth and gums, especially after eating sugary foods. Better yet, finish your meal with a cube of cheese. This can help reduce the effect of acids from food on your teeth.
7. Get more sun. Specifically, get more Vitamin D – which you can get from supplements or exposure to the sun. Both Vitamin D and calcium help keep teeth and gums strong.
8. Practice the basics. Even if you follow these healthy tips, they will do little if you are not already practicing the basics, brushing, and flossing twice daily. You also want to avoid bad habits that can cause damage to your teeth over time.
9. See a dentist when everything is fine. Most people don’t bother with a dentist appointment until something goes wrong: A tooth falls out, a sudden pain makes it hard to chew, or an injury causes a chip or crack. But most problems can be prevented if their underlying cause is found early. A regular check-up more than pays for itself by preventing costly dental procedures down the road.

Source: https://happytoothnc.com/dental-health/

Timing is Everything!

 

If You Indulge, Do It During Mealtime

Don’t worry, we don’t expect you or your child to never eat sweets or starches. There is a better time to eat them than at snack time, however, and that is during meals! That’s because it’s not just important what you eat, but when you eat. At mealtime, there is an increased amount of saliva in the mouth that can help wash away those starches or sugary treats, counteract acid-producing bacteria and remineralize teeth.

Watch Out For Added Sugars

Almost all foods have some type of sugar in them. Naturally occurring sugars–like those found in milk and vegetables–are less worrisome, since these choices are healthy overall. What you want to keep an eye out for when choosing snacks are added sugars.

According to the American Dental Association, added sugar consumption should be limited to less than 10 percent of total energy intake, ideally less than five percent. To put things in perspective, one can of soda is equivalent to three times the daily recommended sugar intake of a child!

Choose Beverages Wisely

On that note, we’d like to advise parents to choose their children’s beverages wisely. Soda and juice may be your child’s preferred drinks, but milk and water are much healthier choices. Good sources of calcium, like milk, aid in building strong teeth and bones and water helps to wash away food particles that may be clinging to teeth, thus protecting against decay.

Source: https://hanoverdentistry.com/2016/08/23/snacking-tips-to-keep-your-childs-smile-health/#:~:text=Stay%20away%20from%20starchy%2C%20sticky,%2C%20nuts%2C%20yogurt%20and%20cheese.

Photo Source: https://www.drjennifercohen.com/calm-happy-mealtime-solution/

Great Snacking Options

 

GOOD NUTRITION IS ESSENTIAL for a child’s healthy growth and development. It’s also important for their dental health! A good diet can help your child build strong, healthy teeth, while poor eating habits puts your child at a higher risk of tooth decay.

You may understand how important nutritious meals are, but one thing some parents struggle with is snack time. Here are our best tips on how to make sure your child’s snack time is tooth-friendly!

Not All Snacks Are Created Equal

Stay away from starchy, sticky or sugary foods during snack time, like dried fruit, crackers, chips and cookies. These types of snacks can stick to the teeth for long periods of time, potentially causing cavities. For snack time it’s best to opt for fruits, vegetables, nuts, yogurt and cheese.

Source: https://hanoverdentistry.com/2016/08/23/snacking-tips-to-keep-your-childs-smile-health/#:~:text=Stay%20away%20from%20starchy%2C%20sticky,%2C%20nuts%2C%20yogurt%20and%20cheese.

Good Nutrition & Dental Health

 

This is a great informational video reminder of why smart snacking will benefit your child not only now but in the future. Included in the video are a couple of great ideas to help your child attain the best oral health care that they can. 

Tooth Snack Guide

 

School is almost back in session. Whether that means online or in person, new schedules will need to be put in place. Preparing snacks ahead of time will save you a lot of questions and time. Put all snacks in one place in the refrigerator or have a designated basket in the cupboard so your kids know where to look when it is snack time. 

Healthy snacks will keep your child's blood sugar levels even and give them the best advantage to staying up on their assignments. 

We look forward to seeing you at your semi-annual cleaning appointment!

Source: https://fidkids.com/tooth-friendly-snack-guide/