Childrens Dentistry

Why are baby teeth important? | Fissure sealants | Diet monitoring

Children’s teeth are particularly vulnerable to tooth decay caused by food acid. Encouraging your child to have tooth friendly snacks such as carrot and celery sticks, natural plain yoghurt, cheese and crunchy fruits including apple and pear slices over sugary treats will help keep their teeth and gums healthy. This can significantly reduce the risk of developing tooth decay and cavities.

While every parent likes to give their children treats now and then, snacks such as cakes, biscuits, chewy or hard lollies like caramel or toffee, muesli bars and dried fruit adhere to teeth for a long time after eating them. This will expose your child’s teeth to decay causing acid for prolonged periods. Fruit juice, soft drinks and cordials have a high concentration of sugar and citric acid, which can further damage tooth enamel. After having these snacks and drinks, we advise your child rinses with fluoridated water to help neutralise the effects of these food acids.

It is important to note that when it comes to having snacks, it’s not the amount of food consumed or how much sugar it contains but how often it’s eaten that causes the most damage. Saliva is the body’s natural defence against food acid and each time your child has a snack, only a small amount of saliva is produced providing minimal tooth protection. Constant snacking throughout the day produces more acid than saliva can neutralise. Therefore it’s best to have sugary or acidic foods and drinks at normal meal times and to brush or at least rinse with fluoridated water after eating.