You and your family are going to host your extended family for the holidays, and you’re all so excited! You’ll spend lots of quality time together doing fun activities, taking photos and selfies, and making memories that will last for years to come. The last thing you want to have to deal with is a dental emergency for your child, which can interrupt and put a damper on the festivities, not to mention the pictures! In this post, you’ll learn four things you can do this holiday season to avoid dental emergencies for kids in Katy.
Limit Sugar Consumption
With cookies, candy, and all kinds of holiday treats, limiting sugar intake can become a struggle. However, cavity-causing bacteria thrive on sugary, starchy foods, and then they produce acids that corrode the protective enamel on your child’s teeth. Instead, provide more mouth-friendly foods like calcium-rich cheese or yogurt, apples, cucumbers, pears, celery, and carrots. You don’t have to cut out sweets completely, but try to include these beneficial foods in their diet. By helping your child make smarter snack and treat choices, the microbiome of their mouth can more easily be kept under control.
Drink Lots of Water
Not only is water good for your child’s body in general, it is the best possible drink for their oral health. Water washes away harmful bacteria, neutralizes the acidity in the mouth, and helps their body naturally produce beneficial saliva. Instead of giving your child juice, soft drinks, or energy drinks, have them drink more water throughout the day.
Maintain Oral Hygiene
Holiday travel or abnormal schedules can throw a wrench in your routines. Regardless of where your family goes or does, make sure that you fit in your child’s oral care. Do your best to help them take two full minutes to brush their teeth twice every day and floss at least once. These oral healthcare habits only take a few minutes, but they can go a long way to prevent plaque buildup and cavities for your child.
Put Safety First
Just like you insist on your child wearing a helmet when they ride a bike, make sure that they wear a mouthguard when they play sports. Especially in contact sports, an impact can injure their teeth, leaving them with broken or even knocked out teeth. Your child’s dentist should be able to recommend or provide a custom mouthguard that feels comfortable and stable for your child.
If you take these steps this holiday season, you should be able to prevent most dental emergencies from interfering with your celebrations. If, however, your child does have a dental emergency, you need to contact your pediatric dentist in Katy as soon as possible to address the problem. That way, you and your child can quickly get back to enjoying your time with family and friends.
About the Author
After graduating Magna Cum Laude from dental school, Dr. Adeel Khan completed a pediatric dentistry specialty residency as well as a general practice residency at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He is board certified with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and is the father of two children. If you have a dental emergency and need help, you can contact Dr. A at Happy Chompers Pediatric Dentistry by calling or clicking here.