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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

Techniques To Add To Your Child's Oral Care Plan

by Eric Bailey

If you are the parent of a young child, then your goal may be to invest in your child's overall wellness. This wellness includes the health of their teeth and keeping cavities at bay. However, you should think about following a more widespread wellness plan to keep decay from developing. This plan should include daily brushing and flossing practices, but there are a number of other things you should do as well. Keep reading to find out what they are.

Pay Attention To Your Own Oral Health

Every mouth contains cavity-causing bacteria. However, the number of microbes and the specific bacteria strains varies from person to person. When an individual is young, bacterial colonies are smaller, and they also contain fewer strains of bacteria. This is a good thing if you want your child to have fewer cavities. Unfortunately, bacteria grow in numbers through certain activities. Sharing utensils, glasses, chapstick, toothbrushes, and other implements that enter the mouth is how this can happen at an early age.

If you want to minimize bacterial issues as well as cavities, then do not share anything with your child that has already come into contact with your mouth. Also, attend to your own oral care. If you can minimize the microbes in your own mouth, then there is less of a chance that they will make their way into your son or daughter's mouth. Brushing and flossing twice a day is ideal and so is using an antibacterial mouthwash. 

Chewing sugarless gum during the day is a good way to cut down on the microbes in your mouth so they cannot be transferred to your child. 

Skip The Crackers

If you give your child snacks throughout the day, then you may provide crackers on occasion. If you are serious about reducing cavity risks, then skip the crackers completely. Foods like crackers are made from a processed form of starch that breaks down quickly as you chew. Specifically, the carbohydrates mix with your saliva. The saliva contains enzymes that start the digestion process, and the carbohydrates break down into sugars. This creates a great deal of sticky plaque that can cling to the teeth. 

Instead of giving your child crackers, provide snacks that can actually clean the teeth while your son or daughter eats. Carrots, celery, apples, almonds, and other hard and crunchy foods can do this. 

If you do end up giving your child crackers or another carbohydrate-rich food, then ask your son or daughter to rinse their mouth thoroughly afterwards to get rid of as much plaque as possible. 

For additional advice, contact a dentist like Kyle J Frisinger DMD.

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