It's a difficult time. Your children are in the house all day long being home-schooled due to our latest lockdown and are constantly hungry! No matter how much you feed them, now matter how well you are trying to do to keep them full, they want snacks and nibbles. All. Day. Long.
The problem with constant snacking is that it introduces more sugar to the mouth than what the mouth and teeth can cope with. This can lead to cavities and dental disease, which starts children on the restorative cycle for life.
So here are my top tips, from a dentist's point of view, to help keep them full and protect their teeth while they are at home.
1 . Stick to water and milk only as drinks. This is very important. The majority of cavities in children are formed from drinking fizzy drinks or even diluted beverages. Many drinks have "no added sugar" on the label. This does not mean that the drink is sugar free - it just means that the manufacturer did not add sugar. Also, when a label, says; only contains natural occurring sugars, this also does not equate to a healthier option . Whether sugar is artificial or naturally occurring, the body processes it in the same way and the bacteria in the mouth feed off the sugar in the same way, creating the acid that causes cavities.
2. Keep sugary foods to meal times only. This is because your mouth can cope with 3-4 bouts of acid attacks caused by sugar a day. The theory behind eating sugar-laden foods at mealtimes only, is that your mouth can protect itself better from the acid attack caused by the sugar if there sugary foods are only consume 3-4 times a day. So if you child wants a biscuit, ensure that they eat this after lunch or dinner.
3. Beware of "healthy" snacks that are actually full of sugar. Raisins are a prime example of a food often marketed as a healthy snack . Raisins are full of sugar and are very sticky and are very damaging to teeth. Their nutritional benefits are small. A child is much better off eating an apple which is full of vitamins and fibre. Avoid lollipops as they cause sugar to sit by the teeth for an extended period of time. Chose chocolate over jellies. Chocolate will not stick to the teeth as easily as jellies will.
4. Give you child healthy snack options to fill up on like, carrot batons, oatcakes and popcorn. Popcorn is fine, but be careful with it as it is a food that often breaks teeth. Ensure your child is consuming flavourless or salted popcorn and not sweet popcorn.
5. Make sure your child brushes their teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time with a flouridated toothpaste appropriate for their age. If your child feels the toothpaste if too spice , there are many full strength flouride options which they may like with a milder flavour like, Tesco strawberry- flavoured toothpaste or for a fully unflavoured toothpaste, Oranurse is a good option.
If you notice a hole on your child's tooth or your child is feeling pain from their teeth, bring to them to the dentist asap for an assessment! At Northumberland Dental Care, Dr Jennifer Collins and her team can ensure your child will be well cared for.
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