« How To Navigate the Supermarket Like a Nutritionist | Main | How to Prepare for Your Newborn's First Pediatrician's Appointment »
How To Care For Your Child's Teeth Like a Pro
Published 11.04.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (5)
Photo by gagilas
With Halloween just behind us you might have your kids' sugar consumption and dental care at top of mind. We spoke to Oral-B Stages dental expert Dr. Jennifer Salzer who shared some surprising tips to help you keep your kids' teeth in tip-top shape.
1) Don't let your baby go to sleep with a baby bottle.
A whopping 15% of kids have baby bottle cavities, received after going to bed with a baby bottle.
2) Be aware that cookies can be worse for teeth than candy.
We know, a shocker! While most parents think candy is the worst thing they can give their children for their teeth, in actuality, any foods that contains sugar or carbohydrates that can be broken down by the bacteria in a child's mouth can cause cavities. So, the cavity-causing problem can be foods like chips and crackers because they stay in kids' mouths longer. Yikes.
3) Ditch the sippy cups.
A sippy cup invites the sugar to stay on the mouth longer. Choose an open cup instead as kids don't suck on it and therefore it means less sugar on the lips.
4) Use fluoride wisely.
It's recommended that children should start using fluoridated toothpaste when they turn two. At first, smear the toothpaste on the brush. Once your child can spit efficiently, then you can use a pea-sized amount. Also, you can protect your child's teeth through a diet high in green leafy vegetables, which is a natural source of fluoride.
5) Look at the mirror.
The most important tool in oral health besides a toothbrush and toothpaste is a mirror. A child can remove a lot more plaque if looking and watching while brushing his teeth.
- Follow Us!
Via RSS Feed- Via Email
- On Twitter
- On Facebook
- Recent Posts
- How to Prepare for Your Newborn's First Pediatrician's Appointment
- How To Care For Your Child's Teeth Like a Pro
- How To Navigate the Supermarket Like a Nutritionist
- How To Plan Parties with Guests who have Allergies
- How to Trick or Treat Safely
- Categories
- Ages
- Animals
- Beauty
- Books
- Caregiving
- College
- Food
- Health
- Holidays
- Home & Garden
- Money Matters
- New Mom
- Offbeat
- Organization
- Parties
- Photography
- Play
- Pregnancy
- Relationships
- Safety
- School
- Shopping
- Travel
- Contributors
- A Girl & A Boy
- Bessie.Viola
- Busy Mom
- Cool Mom Picks
- Chookooloonks
- Desperately Seeking Sanity
- Doobleh-vay
- Dutch Blitz
- Fairly Odd Mother
- Foodmomiac
- Gray Matter Matters
- Green Mom Finds
- Her Bad Mother
- Hola Isabel
- I Pretty Much Hate Everything
- Issas Crazy World
- Jennifer Graf Groneberg
- Justice Fergie
- Looky, Daddy!
- Mamalogues
- Meagan Francis
- Miss Britt
- Miss Zoot
- Motherhood Uncensored
- Notes To Self
- Nothing But Bonfires
- Oh My Stinkin' Heck
- Peppers and Pollywogs
- Rookie Moms
- Sarah Wagner Yost
- Suburban Turmoil
- Table4Five
- The Blythe Spirit
- The Fabulous Miss S
- The Naked Ledger
- Three Out of Seven
- To Think Is To Create
- Today's Moms
- Uppercase Woman
- Woulda Coulda Shoulda
- Write. Edit. Repeat.
- Archives
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
Most Popular
1) How To Fly with a Young Child
2) How To Be A Cool Twilight Mom
3) How to Deal with Your Mother-In-Law Talking Smack
4) How to Introduce Music to Your Child
5) How To Take Great Photos Of Your Kids
About this column
Could there really be a guide to everything? And, in 5 simple steps? Nope. But, there are definitely fun and simple ways to live life with your family.
The Alpha Mom Guide to Everything (in 5 simple steps) is a contribution-based column, reflecting the voices of parents and non-parents who love children. We will cover lots of topics in the initial months and will continue to be introducing more. You will find that our guide is easy to understand.
1- it's in 5 easy steps
2- it's subjective, but accurate
3- it's useful
We are looking for submissions, so if you're interested please contact us first at contact@alphamom.com. We already have a dozens in the queue ready to be launched over the next few months and don't want to duplicate efforts.
Disclaimer
This column is only for entertainment purposes. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.
Comments (5):
Olivia said:
3)a) Don't put sugary drinks in a sippy cup. Water is okay.
_____________
Editor: YES!
Posted on November 4, 2009 08:16
Cheryl S. said:
What do you do about a kid who HATES any flavor of toothpaste? I still brush her teeth with just water, but she will not use toothpaste. I've tried every flavor and brand. We have floridated water where I live, is that enough? [She's 4, BTW]
------------
Editor: we'll find out for you.
Posted on November 4, 2009 11:01
gizella said:
candy? for real? That's a suggestion? I mean, what is the nutritional value of that? I'd much rather be more vigilant about brushing than have my kid eat crap. just saying
____
Editor: that's a very fair point. The perspective is taken from the view of a dentist, so I guess it's in the vacuum or teeth. ;)
More clarification, though we will be updating the post above to clarify the following:
Regarding candy, Dr. Salzer does not believe giving candy to children is good/better for their teeth or health; rather, she was making a point that, while most parents think candy is the worst thing they can give their children for their teeth, in actuality, any foods that contains sugar or carbohydrates that can be broken down by the bacteria in a person's (or child's) mouth can cause cavities. So, the cavity-causing problem can be foods like chips and crackers because they stay in kids' mouths longer.
Posted on November 4, 2009 23:09
Anonymous said:
This comment is from Dr. Jennifer Salzer in response to Cheryl S.
_____________________________
This is not uncommon. Kids can be very finicky! The best thing to do is use a very thin layer of paste on the brush (a smear) instead of a pea-sized amount and have a large, cold glass of water nearby. This way, the child won't get a lot of flavor and they can rinse well right away! It's best to use a paste a not just water at your child's age. Additionally, the toothbrush, in addition to the paste, is equally important when teaching children proper tooth brushing habits. For example, some toothbrushes, like Oral-B Stages, are specially designed to address children’s dentition (formation of their teeth and jaw), dexterity (ability to handle a toothbrush) and development (emotional changes and interest) as they grow. -Jennifer Salzer, DDS
Posted on November 4, 2009 23:30
gizella said:
fair enough!
Posted on November 5, 2009 22:46