Protecting Those Big Teeth
The basics
Now that your child’s permanent teeth are coming through, there are a few basic rules that are well worth following.
Diet – Limit sugary food and acidic drinks to mealtimes.
Brushing – By the age of seven, your child should be able to brush properly on their own. But it’s no bad thing to check every now and then to make sure they doing a good job of it. As before, they should be brushing twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste like Aquafresh Big Teeth and a soft-bristled brush like the Aquafresh Big Teeth Toothbrush. You might also like to start them using Aquafresh Big Teeth Mouthwash too. For the best ways to keep big teeth sparkling clean, check out our Brushing Demo.
Dentist visits – When your child starts getting their permanent teeth, it’s more important than ever to make sure they go on regular dentist visits. As well as catching any potential problems before they become painful, it’ll help set your child up with good dental health for life.
Healthy eating for children
As far as your child’s teeth are concerned, sugary and acidic food and drinks are the ones to watch. The best policy is to limit these to mealtimes so that their teeth aren’t exposed to them for too long.
For the more general health of your child, foods that are recommended include:
- Milk, cheese, yoghurt, soya beans, tofu and nuts. These are all rich in calcium, which is good for teeth and bones.
- Fortified breakfast cereals, margarine and oily fish. All good sources of vitamin D, these foods will help keep up levels of calcium in the blood.
- Meat, fish, pulses (that’s beans and lentils) and green vegetables. High in iron, these foods are good for maintaining healthy blood.
- Fish is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals while being low in saturated fat. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines are also good for Omega 3.
- Citrus fruits (like oranges) are good for vitamin C. But remember that this type of fruit is acidic, so while it’s OK to snack on between meals, fruit juice should be diluted and limited to mealtimes.
- Milk, margarine, butter, green vegetables, carrots and apricots contain vitamin A to help keep your skin and vision healthy.
Sugar and fizz
Kids love sugar and fizzy drinks. But the trouble is, some of the bacteria that live on our teeth turn the sugar into acid, which attacks the enamel.
If your child keeps eating sugary foods (or drinking sugary drinks) then their teeth end up being exposed to acid for a lot longer. And that’s when they can start to decay.
So protecting your child’s teeth isn’t just about how much sugar they have, it’s also about how often they have it.
If you can try and persuade them to limit sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes – and stick to fruit, vegetables, cheese, milk and water in between meals.
Plaque, tooth decay and big teeth
Our mouths are warm, wet and receive a steady supply of food – no wonder bacteria love living there.
While some of these bacteria are good and actually fight off bad bacteria, some aren’t so good. These are the bacteria that live in a thin sticky film, which forms across our teeth called plaque.
Although our tooth enamel is pretty tough, eventually the acid produced by these plaque-living bacteria eat away at it, creating a little hole known as a cavity.
If the cavity isn’t stopped, it can spread into the softer dentine layer that lies underneath the enamel, causing toothache. In the worst case scenario, the cavity will continue to spread through the soft centre of the tooth which can be very painful and may mean the whole tooth has to be removed.
A far less painful alternative for your child involves proper brushing, a good diet and regular visits to the dentist.
Avoiding gum disease and acid erosion
Gums have got a big job to do – they’re the things that hold your teeth together. In fact, gum disease is the major cause of tooth loss in adults.
Plaque, if not removed, can form a solid layer on the gum called tartar. Plaque and tartar can work together to irritate your child’s gums so that they swell up and start to bleed when touched. This is the start of gingivitis – otherwise known as gum disease.
But don’t worry, this can easily be avoided – all it takes is ensuring they pay attention to their gums as part of their brushing routine and regular visits to the dentists to remove scale.
Acid erosion attacks the whole surface of the tooth, and can make the protective surface thinner. This can cause the teeth to become more sensitive. It also makes them more vulnerable to tooth decay.
Here are a few things that can help prevent acid erosion:
- Encourage your child to keep fizzy drinks and juice to mealtimes. Between meals, they should stick to milk or water.
- Drinking fizzy drinks through a straw directs the liquid to the back of the mouth, so there’s less contact with the teeth.
- Always dilute fruit juice with water.
- Discourage your child from swishing sugary drinks around their mouth.
- Don’t let your child brush their teeth just after they’ve had an acidic drink. They should wait an hour.
- After they’ve brushed their teeth at night, make sure they only have water before bed.
Sport and teeth
Sport is great for their overall health, but it can be hazard for teeth. So if they’re mad on football, rugby or hockey, you should consider getting a mouth guard.
A properly fitted mouth guard will provide better protection than a standard size, and can be easily fitted by your dentist.
But it’s worth remembering that children can grow out of mouth guards as quickly as they grow out of clothes, so make sure they have a regular check-up to see if they need a new one.
And, if the worst comes to the worst, and your child loses a tooth while playing sport, it is a good idea to visit the dentist who may be able to do something to help. Also, if you can, put the tooth in a cup of milk or keep the tooth in your child’s mouth between the cheek and the gum. It could still be fixed back in later as long as you don’t let it get dry.