Healthy teeth, Happy Holidays
It may have rained almost every day since school broke up, but there’s no reason the Great British weather should dampen our spirits. Although beach days are generally better when the sun is shining, most outdoor activities can carry on regardless of the rain – in fact sometimes it only adds to the fun. One thing that is guaranteed to put a spoiler on your child’s summer fun, however, is problems with teeth. So let’s look at what you can do to make sure you family’s teeth stay in tip top condition through the rest of the summer holidays.
Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is key to our health and wellbeing, and if the weather is warmer or your children are more active than usual, it is all the more important. However, many popular children’s drinks contain large amounts of sugar – so it is wise to choose with care. If you prepare squash for your children, it is worth opting for sugar free or no added sugar alternatives. Take a moment to check the label and see exactly what is in the bottle. The same is true for ready-made drinks. There is no reason to deprive your children of their favourite drinks, but ensure they do not consume excessive amounts of sugary drinks, and try to limit such drinks to mealtimes to reduce the overall exposure their teeth suffer.
Take care
The chances are that your child is likely to engage in a much wider variety of activities during the summer months, and some of these may put him or her at increased risk of suffering accidental damage to the teeth. Although such occurrences are rare, you should always ensure your child wears mouth and face protection if advised. Sports such as cricket or boxing, for example, have specific protective equipment and this should always be used.
Of course, it is impossible to protect children from everything. If your child does have a bump or collision that involves an impact to the jaw, it is advisable to speak to your dentist as a precaution, even if you can’t see any signs of tooth damage.
Eat carefully
School meals and canteens may have improved a lot over recent years – but if the kids are not at school, it matters little. With many parents still committed to working schedules, it is easy to let the kids snack as they wish during the summer holidays. Unfortunately, whilst this often eliminates the stress of a constant bombardment of “I’m hungry” and “I want…”, it also means that there is a risk of exposing the teeth to a greater risk of decay. Ideally, snacks between meals should be avoided. However, during the holidays this can be pretty hard to enforce, so we recommend ensuring that there are plenty of low sugar, healthy and natural snacks available for those grazing children to eat. If you have sweets and sugar in the house, keeping it under lock and key will help to keep decay away!
Brush properly
Without the typical school day routine, it is easy to forget about enforcing things like the tooth brushing regime – but brushing twice a day for two minutes is an absolutely fundamental part of protecting teeth from decay. Make sure that your children are doing it – especially if you have teenagers who like to stay up late on the computer. Make sure you remind children of the importance of brushing teeth on a regular basis, and supervise wherever possible.
At the award winning Battle Road Dental & Implant Clinic in Derby, we offer the very best in preventative dentistry for all the family, helping to avoid disease and decay before they become problems. To enquire about becoming a member or book an appointment now, call us on 01332 916351 or click here to contact us online.
Posted by Bridge Dental and Implant Clinic on 9th August 2017, under Children