We all enjoy that sweet something every now and then. Kids on the other hand can live on the stuff! But how much sugar can a child eat to cause a cavity?
Luckily, it isn’t the amount of sugar your kids eat, but how long their teeth are exposed to it.
Parents put your minds at ease. You aren’t going to go to battle with your kids for that piece of chocolate or candy. The good news is, they can enjoy it, but they need to do it right.
- Try to limit their teeth exposure to sweets – get them to eat the treats in one sitting as opposed to two or three.
- Drink sugary drinks through a straw – the sugar doesn’t get a chance to stick to their teeth.
- Once they brush their teeth for the night, only allow water to drink.
- Try to keep them away from sticky candy that sticks and stays on the teeth for hours.
- Combine sugary treats with mealtimes – exposing their teeth to other foods that have calcium and other nutrients can help neutralise the acids produced from sugary treats.
- Encourage them to eat plain, unsweetened yogurt after a sugary treat, it helps neutralise the acids and offers all important calcium and phosphorus.
Tip: Kids respond to visuals, so showing them pictures of what happens to their teeth when they don’t take care of them, does the trick!
