Below is an excerpt from an article found on Colgate.com that was written by Sher Warkentin Maintaining good oral care during the holidays can be tough with the bombardment of sugary sweets all season. Counting down to Christmas with an advent calendar is a fun activity for your kids, but if they are filled with chocolate and sweets, it won't be so great for their teeth. Check out these simple sugar-free ideas to fill your countdown instead. Holiday Activity Fun Fill your child's countdown with special moments that they will cherish all year round. For each day of the month come up with a fun holiday activity that you can do together as a family. Some ideas include: watching a holiday movie, going ice skating, building a snowman and looking at Christmas lights. Write down the activity on a slip of paper and tuck one note into each day of your advent calendar. A Puzzling Treat Give your child a fun challenge with a customized puzzle. Draw a picture or write a special message on a blank puzzle. Break the pieces apart and place one puzzle piece in each day of your advent calendar. Every day your child can add the pieces together until they have a completed puzzle revealing a special holiday message or fun activity to do together. To read the entire article visit Colgate.com. The remainder of the article details the following:
Below is an excerpt from an article found on Colgate.com that was written by Elizabeth SanFilippo Chances are good that visions of cookies, desserts and candy canes may be dancing in your children's heads this holiday season. While you will do what you can to limit their intake of these sugary treats, your kids will probably be eating their fair share of sugar at your family holiday parties. Despite their consumption of sugar, there are ways to keep your kids' healthy teeth and gums in shape and to minimize damage to their dental health. Why Is Sugar Bad for Dental Health? Whether your kids are eating chocolate cake, sugar cookies or peppermint candy, they are ingesting sugar. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth feed on this sugar, and the byproduct is acid. This acid can eat away at tooth enamel, which can lead to tooth decay and cavities. The more time teeth spend exposed to sugar, the higher the risk that your children will face dental health problems. Hard candies, and sticky candies such as taffy and caramel, can be worse for teeth than other treats such as cake and cookies. Brush after Eating a Sugary Treat In general, the ADA recommends that everyone brush their teeth and gums at least twice a day for at least two minutes each time. Flossing should also be done at least once a day. During the holidays, encourage your kids to brush and floss even more than this, particularly right after they finish dessert. If a toothbrush is not handy, the next best thing to do is rinse. Encourage your kids to rinse their mouths with water - not soda or even sparkling grape juice รณ which will help wash away sugar, acids and any other food that may be stuck to their teeth. To read the entire article visit Colgate.com. The remainder of the article details the following:
Below is an excerpt from an article found on Colgate.com that was written by Donna Pleis You already know the value of regular tooth brushing and flossing to the prevention of tooth decay and gum disease, but what you eat can help too. Here are a few tips for healthy teeth involving simple foods that may be more helpful to your dental health than you thought they were. An Element of Strength The mineral, fluoride, plays an important role in building strong teeth and bones, and ultimately protecting your teeth against tooth decay. This is why fluoride has been included in toothpastes like Colgate Cavity Protection and many community water supplies. But did you know it's also found naturally in many foods? Any fluoride you ingest is absorbed and distributed throughout the body, according to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), though most of it deposited into your bones and teeth. So, to give you and your family's teeth an extra bit of strength now and then, serve up foods with naturally high concentrations of fluoride. Most seafood is a good source of this because oceans are full of natural sodium fluoride. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), tea and gelatin contain fluoride as well. Carrots, beets, canned pork and beans also have significant amounts (who would've thought?), as well as infant formula, juices, canned tomato products and cheeses. And if you like baked potatoes, don't peel off the skin; that's where most of the fluoride is found. You can identify more fluoride-rich foods at the USDA National Nutrient Database. To read the entire article visit Colgate.com. The remainder of the article details the following:
Maintaining good oral care during the holidays can be tough with the bombardment of sugary sweets all season. Counting down to Christmas with an advent calendar is a fun activity for your kids, but if they are filled with chocolate and sweets, it won't be so great for their teeth. Check out these simple sugar-free ideas to fill your countdown instead.
Chances are good that visions of cookies, desserts and candy canes may be dancing in your children's heads this holiday season. While you will do what you can to limit their intake of these sugary treats, your kids will probably be eating their fair share of sugar at your family holiday parties. Despite their consumption of sugar, there are ways to keep your kids' healthy teeth and gums in shape and to minimize damage to their dental health.
You already know the value of regular tooth brushing and flossing to the prevention of tooth decay and gum disease, but what you eat can help too. Here are a few tips for healthy teeth involving simple foods that may be more helpful to your dental health than you thought they were.