How To Decrease The Negative Effects Of Sugar On A Child's Teeth

Posted on: 17 October 2019

Most people fully know and understand that sugar is not a good thing for kids to eat. Not only does eating sugar make kids hyper, but it can also have negative effects on their teeth. If you have young kids, you may want to find ways to decrease the negative effects sugar can have on their teeth so they can have healthier, stronger teeth. Here are several things to understand about sugar and your child's teeth.

Limit their intake

The most important thing to know is that you should limit the intake of sugar that your kids receive. While this may not be hard sometimes, it can be more difficult during the holidays or after a parade when they receive a large bag of candy. For example, you may want to give them only one or two pieces of candy a day, and you may even want to tie this to some type of reward system you use in your home. For example, you could offer two pieces of candy each day after the kids finish their homework. Limiting their intake is the best way to decrease the negative effects sugar has on their teeth.

Choose the right time to give them sugar

The second thing to know is that there is a right and wrong time to give candy and sugary treats to kids. The absolute best time to offer candy is right after a meal. After a child eats a meal, his or her saliva glands will be running full speed. This means that the child's mouth will have more saliva in it, and if the child eats candy at this time, the saliva will be able to clean up the residue more so afterwards because there will be more saliva there to do this.

Offer plenty of dairy products

Another option is to offer a lot of dairy products to your kids. Dairy products tend to help decrease the acids in a person's mouth. If you can decrease the acids, you can reduce the chances of the child developing a cavity.

Encourage them to drink more water

Finally, you should encourage the intake of water as the main beverage available in your home. Water acts like saliva by cleaning out the mouth, and water has no negative effects on teeth.

Following these tips can help your children have healthier teeth. If you have questions about this or would like to schedule an appointment, contact family dental care services today.

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