Caring for an Elderly Parent With Special Dental Needs

Two Ways To Help Protect Your Child's Teeth And Gums

4 January 2016

Joe Lawrence

Keeping your child's teeth in top condition can be a full-time job. Even if you encourage your youngster to brush at least two minutes twice daily, your child's eating habits and lack of dental care during the remainder of the day can cause problems with his or her oral health. Here are two additional measures you can take to help protect your child's teeth and gums from decay:

Offer your child gum.

Most children love to chew gum. If your child is old enough to avoid swallowing the chewy substance, gum can be beneficial. 

Food particles serve as food for the bacteria in your child's mouth, and as the bacteria feed, they produce acid that causes tooth decay and irritates sensitive gum tissue. Thus, removing the substances is important. Sugarless gum can be used to pull food debris, oral bacteria and plaque from the surface of your little one's teeth and gums.

In addition, some gum, such as gum sweetened with xylitol and cinnamon-flavored gum, offer antibacterial properties that help control the number of bacteria in the oral cavity. 

Offer your child gum after snacks and meals. He or she doesn't have to chew it continuously throughout the day. A couple of minutes should be sufficient to help reduce food debris.

Have your child drink water or tea.

There are so many beverages marketed for your children. However, many sweet drinks and fruit juices have a high sugar content, and sugar is the preferred food of oral bacteria. 

Instead of giving your child large amounts of other drinks, offer your child water or tea. Tap water is often fluoridated. Fluoride draws phosphate and calcium back to your child's tooth enamel to remineralize teeth that have been demineralized by acid. As a a result, fluoride can help harden your child's teeth and discourage the development of cavities. 

Black tea, which may be preferred by children that crave flavor, is naturally antimicrobial. Research shows that three or four cups of black tea consumed daily can help kill oral microbes, such as Streptococcus mutans. According to the study, even tea sweetened with sugar displays antibacterial effects.

Your child's dental health is important even if his or her adult teeth have not presented. Dental decay can affect teeth that are still below the surface of the gums. To learn more ways to help protect your youngster's oral health, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your area.

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