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Pediatric Dentistry: Instill Good Habits and Awareness in Kids

Instill good dental habits in kids early. Visit a pediatric dentistry office. (Image courtesy collusor on Pixabay via CC0 Public Domain license)
Instill good dental habits in kids early. Visit a pediatric dentistry office. (Image courtesy collusor on Pixabay via CC0 Public Domain license)

Did you know that bananas cause more dental cavities than chocolate and chewing gum? Schedule a pediatric dentistry appointment to know more dental facts or “myth-busters”. A pediatric dentist is the best person to educate you and your child on healthy dental practices. Besides, regular dental check-ups ensure that your child’s teeth develop healthily and that problems are detected promptly and corrected immediately to prevent tooth decay or loss in future.

Surprising Pediatric Dentistry Facts That You Didn’t Know

Halloween is around the corner, and you are probably concerned that your kids will spoil their teeth gorging on chocolates. Well, you should be worried more about the harm some other apparently innocuous foods do to the teeth. For instance, healthy foods like bananas and apples cause more cavities than chocolate, graham crackers, caramels, red licorice, and chewing gum. Even bread, raisins, cereal, and chips do more dental harm than chocolate.

According to research, the culprit is the starch that is present in high amounts in many of these foods. Starch is a complex carbohydrate, but the bacteria present in the mouth reacts similarly to the simple sugars present in chocolates and other “sugary” foods. The bacteria breaks down the sugar which leaves an acidic waste. This acidic substance causes cavities.

The case against starchy foods like bananas rests on the fact that starch dissolves slowly and remains inside the mouth for longer periods of time than simple sugar. Small particles of some starchy foods also get stuck between the teeth and remain in the mouth for as long as two hours, so the bacteria has more time to work on the starch and create more acid.

That being said, banishing apples, bananas, and most other starchy foods from your kid’s diet is not a good idea. After all, the body needs complex carbohydrates too.

So this Halloween, let your kids gorge on chocolates, candies, and cookies. Cocoa, the primary ingredient in chocolate, contains tannin that is as effective as fluoride, the substance present in toothpaste, in preventing tooth decay. Also, encourage them to eat fruits like bananas and apples every day.

For your part, make sure that they don’t miss their pediatric dentistry appointment. Your kid’s dentist can educate you about the foods to be wary of and those to stay away from to keep teeth healthy and cavity-free.

Why Should You Take Your Kid to a Pediatric Dentist?

You should take your kid to a pediatric dentist regularly. During a pediatric dentistry visit, you can get your kid’s teeth cleaned professionally and get him checked for signs of cavities. Regular check-ups ensure the dentist can monitor your child’s dental development closely. A pediatric dentist is also the best person to teach your child the correct way to brush and floss.

Choose a pediatric dental office where your kid feels welcomed, safe and can even enjoy his or herself by playing video games or watching cartoon shows on TV while he waits. This ensures that you don’t have to coax, cajole, or bribe him to visit the dentist anymore. After all, he has to become comfortable around a dentist, be receptive to the suggestions, and take his dental health into his own hands. When he knows what is good for his teeth and what is not, he need not deprive himself of chocolate for fear of cavities!