Prevention Programs and Counseling
Diet Counseling to Control Decay
We cannot talk about healthy oral hygiene habits, without talking about diet and how it affects your children’s teeth. And when we say diet, we mean right from the nursing stage.
Just like the food they eat can affect your children’s general health, it can also affect the health of their teeth and gums. If your kids eat a lot of sugar, sugary drinks and sodas, sweetened fruit drinks and snacks, they are at risk of tooth decay. “Sugar Monster” is the number one reason for tooth decay. The good news is that Dr. Yasmin is a Sugar Monster Fighter and has dedicated her career to help children live in a Sugar Monster Free environment.
Think about your children’s teeth and gum before you give them food and drinks. If they have a balanced healthy diet and limited between-meal snacks, it will be easier for them to have a healthy smile.
We are happy when we see good healthy habits in children and we will give you some tips and tricks that might help your child prevent tooth decay by choosing a healthy diet.
Preventing Tooth Decay through Healthy Diet
- Make sure to avoid nursing your child to sleep or giving them anything other than water in their bed-time bottle. Once you see the first teeth, start brushing your child’s tooth and gums with a soft baby toothbrush to avoid decay. Also, don’t use a bottle or Sippy cup as a pacifier to sleep.
- A teeth friendly diet is one that is filled with vitamins and nutrition. In order to make your child’s diet safe for their teeth, make sure that your child has a balanced diet. A combination of fruits and vegetables, bread or cereals, dairy products and protein such as beef and fish make the perfect healthy diet. Replace chips with crunchy vegetables that are filled with vitamins and strengthen the teeth. Nuts are also a great source of folic acid and we always suggest including them in your child’s diet and lunch boxes. Drinking plenty of water will help achieve good dental health.
- Teach your child not to share food and drinks in school to avoid swapping bacteria.
- Another cause of cavities is sugar and you can monitor your child’s sugar intake and starchy food or replace them with healthier options such as fruits and honey.
- Tooth decay can be prevented by regular visits to the pediatric dentist and following a specific program for brushing, flossing and dental hygiene that the dentist will recommend. Healthy and balanced diet, along with regular pediatric dental visits and following dental hygiene will help prevent tooth decay in children.
If you have any other questions or doubts on how to encourage healthy oral hygiene and diet habits for your kids, Dr. Yasmin will be glad to assist you. She is an international speaker and in her 16 years of practice, Dr. Yasmin has been speaking about prevention of dental problems in children on numerous occasions.
Let our tooth fairy help you and your children in adopting healthy oral hygiene habits. Reach out, call us and make an appointment, and let’s talk and make a plan.