Diet and Snacking:

Q: - What is a healthy diet for my child?

A: - A healthy diet is a balanced diet that naturally supplies all the nutrients your child needs to grow. And what's a balanced diet? One that includes the following major food groups every day: Fruits & Vegetables; Breads and Cereals; Milk and Dairy Products; Meat, Fish & Eggs.

Q: - How does my child's diet affect her dental health?

A: - They must have a balanced diet for her teeth to develop properly. They also need a balanced diet for healthy gum tissue around the teeth. Equally important, a diet high in certain kinds of carbohydrates, such as sugar and starches, may place your child at extra risk of tooth decay.

Q: - How do I make my child's diet safe for his teeth?

A: - First, be sure he has a balanced diet. Then, check how frequently he eats foods with sugar or starch in them. Foods with starch include breads, crackers, pasta and such snacks as pretzels and potato chips. When checking for sugar, look beyond the sugar bowl and candy dish. A variety of foods contain one or more types of sugar, and all types of sugars can promote dental decay. Fruits, a few vegetables and most milk products have at least one type of sugar.

Sugar can be found in many processed foods even some that do not taste sweet. For example, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich not only has sugar in the jelly, but may have sugar added to the peanut butter. Sugar is also added to such condiments as catsup and salad  dressings.

Q: - Should my child give up all foods with sugar or starch?

A: - Certainly not! Many provide nutrients your child needs. You simply need to select and serve them wisely. A food with sugar or starch is safer for teeth if it's eaten with a meal, not as a snack. Sticky foods, such as dried fruit or toffee, are not easily washed away from the teeth by saliva, water or milk. So, they have more cavity-causing potential than foods more rapidly cleared from the teeth. Talk to your dentist about selecting and serving foods that protect your child's dental health.

Q: - Does a balanced diet assure that my child is getting enough fluoride?

A: - No. A balanced diet does not guarantee the proper amount of fluoride for the development and maintenance of your child's teeth. If you do not live in a fluoridated community or have an ideal amount of naturally occurring fluoride in your well water, your child needs a fluoride supplement during the years of tooth development. Your dentist can help assess how much supplemental fluoride your child needs, based upon the amount of fluoride in your drinking water and your child's age and weight.

Q: - My youngest isn't on solid foods yet. Do you have suggestions for her?

A: - Don't nurse your daughter to sleep or put her to bed with a bottle of milk, formula, juice, or sweetened liquid. While she sleeps, any unswallowed liquid in the mouth supports bacteria that produce acids and attack the teeth. Protect your child from severe tooth decay by putting her to bed with nothing more than a pacifier or bottle of water.

Q: - Any final advice?

A: - Yes. Here are tips for your child's diet and dental health.

1. Ask your dentist to help you assess your child's diet.
2. Shop smart! Do not routinely stock your pantry with sugary or starchy snacks. Buy "fun foods" just for special times.
3. Limit the number of snack times; choose nutritious snacks.
4. Provide a balanced diet, and save foods with sugar or starch for mealtimes.
5. Don't put your young child to bed with a bottle of milk, formula, or juice.
6. If your child chews gum or sips soda, choose those without sugar.

Teaching your child to brush is a task that many parents have dreaded at one time or another. Having your child brush, however, is extremely important because it establishes good oral habits that last a lifetime.

Start Early

The key to establishing good brushing habits is starting early. In fact, the American Dental Association suggests that you begin cleaning your baby's mouth the first few days after birth.

After each meal take a wet washcloth and wipe your baby's gums. This accomplishes three things:

1. It removes plaque that accumulates on the gums.
2. Plaque is a sticky substance containing mucus, food debris, and bacteria. Removing plaque prevents bacteria from building up on your child's gums.
3. It gets your child accustomed to having a clean, plaque-free mouth.

When your child is accustomed to a clean, plaque-free mouth, they will usually take steps, including brushing, to keep this clean feeling.

It gets your child accustomed to you "meddling" in their mouth.

When your child becomes accustomed to you "meddling" in their mouth, it becomes easier for you to brush their teeth later. It also makes it easier for the dentist to examine and work in their mouths at a later date.

The First Baby Teeth

The baby's first teeth appear, on average, about six months after birth. Parents may notice excessive salivation and the child may become irritable while these first teeth are coming in.

When teeth appear, use a cotton swab daily to gently wipe the teeth and remove plaque. If your child has not grown up tolerating you "meddling in their mouth" you may have a much tougher problem. If your child is two years of age and their teeth have not been brushed and inspected by you, in all probability, plaque has not been sufficiently removed.

Brushing Your Child's Teeth

Despite the protests and the fight your child may give you, it is extremely important that you brush their teeth.

Parents, in fact, are responsible for making sure their children's teeth are clean until the child  reaches five to six years of age! This is because, on average, younger children do not have the manual dexterity required to brush teeth effectively.

Why should you go to great lengths to brush your child's teeth? The most important reason is that by brushing your child's teeth, you remove the plaque bacteria which is responsible for this tooth decay.

Another reason to help your child learn to brush is that this helps them develop a crucial habit which will last a lifetime.

Make It Fun!

The key to getting your child to brush is to make it fun. Start your program today and look for fun ways to engage your children in the activity. Make it seem as if brushing is a fun thing to do rather than a chore which must be done.

One method that is fun and effective is allowing your children to brush your teeth. You should laugh a lot and make it a fun activity. Then allow them to "brush" their own teeth. Finish by brushing your child's teeth. You may want to include older siblings in the activity.

Alternatively, have your child brush their favorite doll's teeth before you brush theirs. Remember always allow them to "brush" their own teeth and then follow up by brushing their teeth correctly.

Use only a pea-size amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush as larger amounts tend to create excessive foam making it more difficult for your child to brush.

Make sure that your child gets in the habit of spitting out the toothpaste. Swallowing toothpaste on a consistent basis can lead to a condition known as fluorosis, in which spots may appear on your child's teeth.

If your child still refuses to engage in these tooth brushing games, make tooth brushing appearas a fun activity they are missing out on. Have mom and dad go up to the bathroom eager to brush. Laugh a lot and make a lot of noise. Soon your child will realize that they are missing out on something fun and will want to join in.

Your enthusiasm is contagious!

If you are enthusiastic about the activity, your children will be enthusiastic. Children are great emulators. They tend to want to do the things that their parents do. If your children see you brushing your teeth and displaying good dental habits, they will follow.