- Article as provided by Dr. Karishma Jaradi, Head Dental Surgeon at Dentzz Dental
In our country festivities and food are synonymous to each other. Throughout the year, festive celebrations give us the perfect excuse to indulge in some mouth-watering delicacies. Keep yourself away from binging onto festive sweets and savouries is quite an uphill task and more so when you have kids around. Parents do endure a challenging time in keeping kids away from devouring the festive sweet delights. Along with hampering your child’s well-being, the binge eating can also equally impair their oral health. While parents should allow kids to dig into their festive favourites, they alongside need to ensure that their child’s oral regime is not going for a toss.
If parents have emptied their bag of tricks to get your little one to brush and floss regularly during the festivities, below mentioned are a few more cards you can put up your sleeve that will help in keeping their smiles cavity-free:
Encourage the habit of drinking water post sweet indulgence: A little amount of water intake right post eating a dessert can do more than just quenching your child’s thirst. Not only does it facilitate in minimizing the sugar contact with your child’s enamels, but it can also help in dislodging tough food particles. This will help in restoring the mouth’s PH balance. Train kids to swish the water around in their mouths to rinse off their enamels as soon as they have finished eating. Cleansing the appetite by sipping on water followed by brushing and flossing can also lessen sweet cravings.
Dish up a plate of nourishing food before your child indulges in the celebrations: Before your munchkin heads out for a celebration, parents must have him or her eat healthy food just beforehand. Offering a plate of wholesome edibles will fill your child’s stomach and make a cavity-causing sweet binge less likely.
Help your child to choose their sweets wisely: What kind of sweet your kid chooses to eat can play a major role in its effect on their enamels. Ensure that your child completely avoids sticky sweets since these can leave behind particles that stick to the enamels and can also lead sugar to linger for a longer time duration. Also, one needs to ensure that their child is avoiding sour savouries that are acidic in nature. This is because, the acid can cause the tooth enamel to weaken, leaving your child more disposed to cavities. As a substitute, opt for sugar-free sweets or the ones that have less sugar in them. The lesser time the sugar spends in your mouth, the less hurt it will cause to your enamels.
Efficient brushing and flossing top the list: Adopting a creative approach to make brushing and flossing a fun task can make oral healthcare less stressful for you and your child. Amidst the festivities, parents must encourage an extra round of tooth cleaning. Brushing and dental flossing on an everyday basis coupled with timely dental visits even after the festive season is over is a vital path to protect the child’s oral health.
Give a try to these dental tips to help preserve your child’s oral health while ensuing not to cut down on the festive fun.
