How to Protect your Kid’s Teeth during the Holidays
It’s here! The most wonderful time of the year has arrived. While the holiday season is enjoyable for people of all ages, it can be particularly stressful for children’s oral health. Healthy teeth can be challenging to maintain when there are so many enticing treats available for weeks on end. If you let yourself partake in all the sweets and carbs, the bacteria that are naturally in your mouth will eat those same sweets and carbs and release acids that destroy the enamel of the teeth, which can eventually result in cavities. The holidays are the sugar bugs’ preferred season for this reason.
As much as you and your kids might love cookies and candies, you shouldn’t ignore the potential negative effects they can have on your child’s oral health. If you want to know how to stay on track and maintain everyone’s dental hygiene during the holidays, keep reading for some useful tips.
Help Them Maintain Their Oral Hygiene Routine
During the holidays, we are frequently outside. Whether it’s a fun family outing or a visit to some family member’s residence, it’s not uncommon to occasionally forget to clean our teeth while we’re not at home. For kids, brushing their teeth is a big part of their bedtime routine, so if the visit extends into the night, they’ll probably end up falling asleep on their way home and won’t get to brush at all. In order to maintain optimal dental health, everyone needs to brush their teeth several times per day.
Beware of Cavities
The likelihood of your child developing cavities increases if they are not brushing their teeth properly. You might even want to encourage your kids to brush and floss their teeth more frequently than usual. By doing this, the sugar will be kept from sticking to their teeth.
Packing a travel set containing toothpaste, a brush, floss, and mouthwash for your kids can help you ensure that their teeth are brushed all throughout the Christmas season. Children should not forgo brushing their teeth just because they are staying up late at grandma’s place. The necessary supplies should be brought, and other family members should be encouraged to continue the habit as well, even when you are not present.
Prepare Healthy Snacks For Them
Snacks and baked products won’t need to be restricted as much if you make some small changes to their meals. For instance, it’s easy to replace most baked foods with whole wheat. The flavor isn’t altered as significantly as you may anticipate, especially in baked chocolate dishes, so they might not even realize it!
Limit Their Sugar Consumption
When people consume sugar frequently throughout the day, it can have a greater negative effect on their enamel. Your children’s teeth will be more harmed than usual if they are chewing on hard sweets, drinking sugary beverages, or nibbling on cookies all day long. Limiting sweet snacks to mealtimes and making sure they brush their teeth afterward can help a lot.
Schedule a Dentist Appointment
One of the biggest gifts you can give to your children is teaching them how to take good care of their oral health. It’s likely that your child doesn’t know how much they should take care of their teeth, so it’s up to you to guide them. Encourage your child to keep a healthy set of teeth, and they’ll surely thank you for it one day.
If you need assistance taking care of your children’s teeth during the holidays or after the festivities are done, schedule a consultation with Parkway Dental today, we will be more than happy to help you. Happy Holidays!