5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season

grin natural, Children’s Teeth Healthy, holiday gifts for kids, 5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season

What a wonderful time of the year, the holidays. This time of the year goes by fast with gift shopping, decorating, and gatherings. With all these festivities, sweets and treats are sure to be around! Here are some ways to keep your children’s teeth healthy while enjoying some goodies this holiday season. 

1. Have your child enjoy their candy with a meal. The other foods in the meal stimulate saliva which help neutralize the sugars and acids from the candy. If the treat is not at meal time, pair the sweet treat with cheese or fruit, then follow up with some water to help wash the sugars off their teeth.

grin natural, Children’s Teeth Healthy, holiday gifts for kids, 5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season
2. Some sweets are worse for your teeth than others, and sometimes there are hidden sugars in seemingly healthy treats. Chocolate is considered “better for your teeth” since it melts away fairly quickly. Dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate. Toffees and caramels are sticky so they stay on the teeth longer and are harder to wash away with water. Be careful of hard candies like candy canes since they can chip teeth. Sour candies, although less common during the holidays, are sugary and acidic which is harmful for teeth. Lastly, dried fruits are popular during this season but they are also sticky and high in sugar despite being fruit so watch out for that. 
grin natural, Children’s Teeth Healthy, holiday gifts for kids, 5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season

3. Keep a water bottle handy at all times for your child. Not only is it great to drink water after sweets to help wash the sugar particles off their teeth, it will keep your child hydrated! 

4. If you are treating your child to candy, have your child rinse with some water then brush their teeth immediately after eating to remove the sugars and bacteria. However, if your child had acidic candies, fruit, or fruit juice, wait 30 minutes to brush their teeth since brushing immediately can cause damage to enamel.

grin natural, Children’s Teeth Healthy, holiday gifts for kids, 5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season

5. With so many activities and festivities, try to maintain a regular oral hygiene routine. Have your child brush two times a day for two minutes each time and floss once a day. Using a toothpaste with fluoride helps to protect teeth from cavities from the extra sugar.

grin natural, Children’s Teeth Healthy, holiday gifts for kids, 5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season

Definitely savor the treats, but try to focus on the memories you are creating for you and your family. Enjoy all the activities this time of the year provides, like admiring neighborhood decorations, singing holiday jingles, and spending quality time together.

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If you have any thoughts that you would like to share with us, don’t forget to leave a comment below or DM us @grinnatural :)

Images used with consent from beautiful and inspirational mama Dana @house_of_goldies. Thank you for sharing these with us!

grin natural, Children’s Teeth Healthy, holiday gifts for kids, 5 Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Healthy this Holiday Season

Brought to you by Grin oral care expert, Dr. Erica. Aside from being a phenomenal Dentist, Erica is a mom to an energetic and extremely curious toddler. She created @mama.molar.dmd because she wants to educate moms and dads about oral health for their little ones. Erica loves products that are good for your children's growing bodies as well as the environment that they will be living in for the future to come. Dr. Erica will be providing tips and reminders on how to care for your child’s teeth and overall health. Stay tuned!