Protect Your Child’s Teeth from Sugar

Follow these useful snacking tips to prevent oral problems in your children.

Sugar seems to be in everything. While it might seem more obvious that pies, cakes, and candy contain sugar, you may be surprised to see rather high quantities of sugar in yogurt, breads, and even salad dressings. From the office of your Lee's Summit children’s dentists, Dr. Jamie Thurman-Taylor and Dr. Garret Guthrie , prevent cavities and other issues from befalling your child’s beautiful smile by adopting these simple lifestyle rules.

Avoid soda and limit fruit juice

You probably already know the dangerous effects that soda can have on your child’s smile. Soda’s high sugar content causes nasty acid attacks that can weaken enamel and cause decay. Over time, this decay worsens until it becomes a full-blown cavity.

You may also think fruit juice is a better choice, but unfortunately, there are many juices on the market that contain tons of added sugar. Limit the amount of sugary drinks your child consumes, and opt for only natural no-sugar-added juices, and your child should get a clean bill of health from their pediatric dentist in Lees Summit.

No sippy cups

While sippy cups aren’t bad when they contain milk or water, it’s important that no sugary drinks or juices are placed into these sippy cups, since allowing your child to drink from sugar-laden drinks throughout the day can cause more long-term damage to their growing teeth. By only giving them a designated amount to consume in a reasonable amount of time you limit their teeth’s exposure to damage.

Read food labels

We understand that sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to spend scanning all your food before purchasing, but whenever possible try to make a conscious effort to read those nutritional labels. You may be surprised to find sugar in a lot of the foods you are buying.

Maintain good oral health

It goes without saying that following all of the other rules above won’t do your child any good if they aren’t brushing their teeth as often as they should. They should be brushing at least twice a day as well as flossing daily.

Is it a chore to get your child to brush? Then opt for simple ways to make it more fun like letting them choose a fun toothbrush or pick out a delicious toothpaste flavor. Also, make sure they are brushing for at least two minutes, twice daily.

Protect your child’s smile by making sure they visit TLC Family Dentistry every six months for routine cleanings and exams. If it’s time for their next visit make sure to give us a call today!