Posts

School snacks for healthy teeth

With the return to school fast approaching our office sees the improvement in your child’s oral health. No more all-day summer snacking and slurping back sugary drinks.

The snacks you send in your child’s lunch can help keep their smile healthy all year long.

School Snacks, Dentist Approved:

  • Fresh fruit and crunchy vegetables. They’re high in fiber and will help fill up hungry tummies. Bonus: chewing crisp fruits and veggies can scrub away food particles and plaque.
    • While citrus fruits, such as oranges, and grapefruit are healthy and delicious,  citrus fruits contain citric acid which can cause enamel erosion. Moderation is important!
  • Unsalted and low-salt nuts, such as almonds or walnuts.
  • A lunch meat and cheese roll up.
  • Cottage cheese or low-sugar yogurt. Both are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin D, which promote healthy bones and teeth!
  • Peanut Butter (especially natural) is packed with fiber and protein. Spread on celery stalks, apple slices, or on wraps with bananas.
  • Small cubes of cheese. Especially cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and other aged cheeses. These cheeses trigger the flow of saliva which helps to wash food particles away from teeth.
  • Choose water instead of soda or juice!

Uh-Oh! School Snacks to Avoid:

  Dried fruit, fruit leathers and fruit snacks
Not only are they loaded with sugar, but these snacks are gooey and sticky and cling to the surface of teeth and gums.

  • Energy, protein or granola bars
    These may seem like a good choice, but they are very similar to candy bars in the amount of sugar and calories. Many contain sticky dried fruit that cling to teeth  long after the snack is eaten.
  • Cracker snacks
    White flour crackers like goldfish, graham crackers, and bagel chips also stick to teeth. These types of crackers contain carbohydrates that turn into sugar when broken down. Try healthier alternatives like whole grain crackers and triscuits.
  • Sports drinks
    Sports drinks contain extra calories and high levels of sugar, almost as much as soda. They are also  acidic and can contribute to enamel erosion.

Call today for your back-to-school cleaning!

Oh Baby! Caring for your baby’s teeth and gums.

Dental health starts before there are any teeth to brush! Caring for your baby’s teeth early on develops good oral hygiene habits for the future.

Before your child has any teeth it is important to clean the gums after each feeding with a warm, wet washcloth. You can also buy “thimble” style rubber gum stimulators to brush your baby’s gums.

Teething is difficult, but there are a few things you can do to help. Rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger or a clean washcloth. Many babies find the applied pressure comforting. Keep their mouth cool with a cold washcloth, spoon, or chilled teething ring. If your child is already eating hard foods, offer them something to gnaw on like chilled cucumber or carrot. Keep close watch as they chew as any broken off pieces pose a choking hazard.

Baby teeth are important too. A common misconception in adults is that primary teeth do not need special care because they eventually fall out and are replaced by our permanent teeth. But these first teeth preserve the spacing for the permanent ones and help Baby chew and talk. If they’re not cared for properly they can decay, leading to a gum infection called gingivitis, which can affect the spacing of permanent teeth.

Put them to bed with water. The first sign of decay in your child’s teeth is discolouration and minor pitting. Putting your child to bed with milk or worse, juice, is notoriously bad for their teeth. This allows sugars to sit in their mouth and breed bad bacteria all night – water is the safest bedtime beverage.

For more tips on brushing and cleaning your child’s teeth see the Canadian Dental Association Website: http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/cfyt/dental_care_children/cleaning.asp

To book your child’s first dental check-up, contact us today by phone (604) 936-1263, or email https://austindentalgroups.com/contact/

How to encourage good oral hygiene in kids

The more knowledge you can give your kids about dental hygiene, the more likely they are to continue good habits into adulthood – but that doesn’t mean teaching them needs to be boring! There are many great resources available and experiments you can do at home to spark interest in your child.

Show them the plaque that is forming on their teeth by making your own “plaque disclosing solution”. Mix 3-4 drops of red food dye in 3 tablespoons of water and have your child “swish” the solution around like a mouthwash for 10 seconds. Once they spit it out, look in a magnifying mirror and find all the red areas (indicating plaque). Have your child brush their teeth then repeat swishing the solution again to show how much plaque was removed by brushing.

Read to them; there are many great children’s books available about brushing, flossing, and “sugar bugs”.  Click the link to see the 10 Best Children’s Books on Brushing your Teeth as chosen by Babble: https://www.babble.com/crafts-activities/the-10-best-childrens-books-on-brushing-your-teeth/

Demonstrate how to brush your teeth properly – especially in toddlers when they are most interested in copying everything mom and dad do!

Let them try brushing your teeth! Not only is this a great bonding experience, it gives your child a close-up, tactile experience with teeth and gums. Don’t forget to brush again after!

Play Music when brushing. Not only does it make brushing more fun, it encourages kids to brush the full length of the song or the recommended 2 minutes.

Let them pick their own toothbrushes and fun flavoured toothpaste. Toothpaste doesn’t need to be mint flavoured to be effective! Why not let them pick a brush with their favourite character and some toothpaste that tastes like berries or bubblegum!

 

To book your family in for their next cleaning appointment, call today! (604) 936-1263