Teaching kids the importance of taking care of their teeth now will help ensure they have healthy teeth their whole life. In the event you didn’t know, there’s a great deal more to keeping your set of teeth white and healthy than just a little bit of brushing, flossing and the occasional visit to a dentist. Take a look at these teeth dos and don’ts, then teach your kids how to do it to. Kids learn by watching us, so act accordingly.
Don’t Buy Carbonated Drinks for Yourself or Your Kids
Carbonated refreshments (even diet sodas and carbonated water) can be a reason for your teeth to appear to be older than they truly are. These drinks are so remarkably acidic that they can dissolve the layers of your teeth. They contain high amounts of phosphorus – a mineral that can seep calcium from your bones. If you drink these types of drinks on a daily basis, some scientists suspect they can destroy your jawbone, elevating the odds of losing teeth.
Many researchers are convinced calcium is first taken from your jaw, triggering the loss of teeth. Young people today practice a poor diet, not getting sufficient calcium. Sodas and sugary drinks now replace milk and water. Teach your kids about the importance of calcium and the side effects of drinking too many carbonated drinks.
Just a bit of extra info, a new commercial about water (Nestle, I believe) on TV claims that replacing just one can of soda or other sweetened drink a day for a year can save you nearly 50,000 calories a year – that’s huge!
Crunchy Foods are Good to Eat
Foods that clean the teeth are foods that entail chewing. Produce like apples, celery and carrots clean teeth in a natural way, and foods like broccoli, lettuce and spinach prevent staining by making a film on the teeth that functions like a blockade. Many common foods and drinks will hinder your white smile eventually, so keep clear of red wine, coffee, tea, and deeply pigmented foods, including cherries and blueberries. Of course, green teas, blueberries and cherries are also very good for you, so eating and drinking them on occasion is still good for your body. Just be sure to brush your teeth afterward. Some people use extra virgin olive oil as a mouthwash to help make their teeth stronger. The nutrients in the oil help add minerals back into the teeth, which helps them stay healthy longer.
Never Smoke
Smoking cigarettes can cause staining of the teeth and bad breath. It also elevates the probability of oral cancer and gum disease, since it slows down blood flow to the gums. In fact, quite a few gum specialists feel it’s useless providing state-of-the-art treatment for gingivitis in smokers, as there is very little chance for improvement. Smoking one pack a day for 10 years can cause a 10% loss of bone support. Extended trials reveal that the majority of tooth loss in 19 to 40 year olds is associated with smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day.
Don’t Bite Nails or Other Objects
Habitual nail biters damage more than their cuticle; they can destroy their teeth too. If you have vulnerable enamel, you wind up with an exposed, dented, tender area in the middle of the tooth. The issue begins mainly because the denting is quite a bit softer than the enamel. If that tooth is open to bad habits such as chewing nails, opening packages, or anything else you chose to use your teeth for other than chewing food, it will wear down. Usually, the center part dissolves more rapidly than the outside, and the fragile enamel is left open to chipping, making the teeth look uneven and ugly.
Making healthy habits a family matter helps to ensure that they stick with your kids throughout their life. What habits or routines does your family practice to ensure good health for the future?
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Lauren @ Mom Home Guide says
Good tips. I LOVE tea (with milk and sugar), so that is a not good thing for my teeth!
Tisha says
Thanks for sharing. I definitely agree on not buying carbonated drinks for kids. Easy to train them, the earlier the better.
@Lauren, I also love tea and coffee but I see to it that I brush my teeth after to prevent teeth stains.
Craig from Rapid White Smiles says
I agree, I think giving up on the carbonated drinks yourself while the kids are still young will lead to them avoiding the habit totally. I also heard that Strawberries are good at keeping teeth white.
Yvon says
Interesting, I think it is fairly common knowledge that soda is not good for your teeth, but I was unaware that it was because of the phosphorus. However, aren’t your bones made of calcium and phosphorus? Why would it be good for our bones to have calcium and not good to have phosphorus?