Dental Procedure Pain: Get the Facts

2 Measures To Help Keep Your Child's Teeth Healthy At School

While your kids are out for summer vacation, it can be easier to oversee their dental hygiene habits. However, you may be concerned about how going back to school will affect their overall dental health. During school hours, your child will be away from their toothbrush and dental floss. Here are some measures you can encourage your child to take to help keep your youngster's teeth in top condition at school:

Rinse after lunch.

After your child eats lunch, encourage the youngster to rinse their mouth thoroughly with water. The child can use water from the tap in the children's restroom or the water fountain. If the child finds the fountain's water uncomfortably cold for rinsing, the tap may be a better option.

Since the school's water is likely fluoridated, rinsing will offer multiple benefits. Particles of food that feed oral bacteria and contribute to the development of plaque can be rinsed from the teeth before decay is encouraged.

Dental decay results primarily from bacterial acid that is produced from microbes in the mouth as a byproduct of their digestion. As the bacteria consume the carbohydrates from the foods that your child ingests, they release acid that dissolves your little one's tooth enamel, causing cavities to develop.

The fluoride in the water can help protect your child's teeth by making them more resistant to acid. As the fluoride coats your child's tooth enamel, it draws other tooth minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus, back to the enamel surface. There, the minerals combined with fluoride to form a new more acid-resistant tooth material.

The neutral pH of water also helps dilute the acid that is in the mouth, making it less corrosive.

Chew gum if allowed.

Rather than snacking on a piece of candy during school, your child could benefit by chewing sugarless gum. It is best to check with your child's teacher before sending a pack of gum with your youngster just to be sure that gum-chewing is allowed.

Sugarless gum helps mechanically dislodge particles of food from the teeth and along the gum line. In addition, sticky plaque is pulled away. Gum also encourages the release of saliva to help dilute acid in the mouth. Additionally, gum that includes cinnamon or xylitol offers antibacterial qualities.

To learn more things that you can do to help protect your child's teeth while they are at school, schedule a consultation with a family dentist in your area.  


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