O'Fallon Family & Cosmetic Dentist

I just found a source for several different variations of charts to keep track of children’s toothbrushing.  These charts could be created on your own or modified to include flossing once a day as well.  Children who are old enough to brush their teeth on their own usually do not spend enough time brushing.  It might be helpful to use a watch timer or a sand hourglass timer found in one of your childrens’ games to help remind them how long they need to brush.  Encourage your children to brush every surface of every tooth, including the outer, inner and biting surfaces.  They will need to pay special attention to the biting surface of their back teeth (molars) as these are the most likely teeth to harbor harmful bacteria due to their pitted surface.  Placing sealants on these teeth can help to prevent the development of cavities.

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month (yes, there is such a thing), I thought I would share a few resources for parents and teachers.  In schools across the nation, children are receiving free dental health screenings this month.  This month provides a good opportunity for parents and teachers to remind children about healthy teeth habits.  The ADA provides a list of dental health activities for children, as well as ideas for classroom presentations on dental health.   Other ideas for teaching children about dental health can be found at the Apples4TheTeacher website.

I have written a short article on how to prepare your child for the first visit to the dentist.  As well as a blog post on 8 tips for good dental hygiene in young children.   I hope parents and teachers find this information useful in continuing to teach children the importance of caring for their teeth.

We all know that sugary foods like candy, cookies and cake can cause tooth decay, but some foods that cause problems may surprise you.  Parents who limit dessert consumption are surprised to learn that some snacks that they consider healthy may be causing decay problems.  Starchy foods like bread, chips, cereal bars, some cereals and granola bars can cause problems too.  These foods tend to stick to teeth and mix with an enzyme in saliva to cause an acidic reaction.  Dried fruit also tends to stick to teeth and is acidic in nature.   

Acidic drinks like fruit juice and soda, even diet soda, can also cause problems.  Many of my patients assume that diet soda will not harm their teeth because it is sugar free, but the acidic nature of it can cause damage.  I recommend keeping these drinks to a minimum, but if you are a serious soda addict who can’t kick the habit, try using a straw to help the liquid bypass the teeth more effectively.  A recent study in the Journal of Periodontology, demonstrated that green tea may have a beneficial effect on teeth and gums. 

Another sometimes surprising problem is tooth decay in children’s front teeth when a sippy cup is used for a prolonged time, especially when the child drinks a considerable amount of juice or sugary substances.  With the design of a sippy cup, children often purse their lips around the cup but do not open their teeth around it.  This can cause the front teeth to be directly exposed to the acids in the juice on a regular basis.  Some sippy cups are being designed with straws now which causes children to open their teeth to take a sip.  As an aside, open cups or cups with straws are better for speech development in young children as well. 

Young children often have more snacks throughout their day as their bodies require this frequent refueling.  Frequent snacking can set teeth up for constant exposure to decay causing substances.   While brushing teeth each time a snack is eaten may not be a reasonable expectation, drinking or swishing water in the mouth to dislodge and remove decay causing substances is a good habit to establish for children and adults.