Archive | Oral Health

Are Pacifiers Detrimental to Your Child’s Oral Health?

David Beckham made headlines last year for “bad parenting” regarding giving his little girl her pacifier in order to console her while she was upset. And although giving your child a pacifier every once in awhile, like David Beckham did, isn’t going to cause any lasting negative effects on your little one, if your child is in the habit of using a pacifier multiple times a day, you might want to come up with a plan to help them get rid of it.

What’s wrong with pacifiers?

Pacifiers are one of the greatest blessings as a parent— they can help put your child to sleep at night and can help calm them down when they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. However, once your child’s teeth start to come in, pacifiers actually cause more harm than good. By pushing your child’s teeth forward with every sucking motion, pacifiers can cause your child’s teeth to become crooked or to even develop a large gap in between the front two teeth.

When is too old?

Every child starts to get teeth at different ages. As soon as your child develops one or two teeth, you don’t need to pull on the reins and get rid of all pacifiers. However, once they get more and more teeth, you might want to start weaning them off of their pacifier.

Helpful Tips

Just as every child will get teeth at different ages, every child has a different temperament and will react differently to you taking away their pacifier. Depending on your child’s personality and what works for you and your family, try the following tips:

1. Only At Bedtime: To help wean your child off of their pacifier, try to only give them their pacifier at bedtime.
2. Try Incentives: Try offering your child incentives for every day they go without using their pacifier or crying over it.
3. Explain It: In simple terms, explain to your child that pacifiers aren’t good for their health.

To learn more about your child’s oral health or to schedule an appointment, contact Dr. Janice Scott today.

When it comes to making a list of things that are good for your teeth, carrots and water might make the list but did you know that chocolate can too— well, dark chocolate that is. Up there with foods like acai, dark chocolate is considered to be a super food for your body. Rich in things like antioxidants, having a little bit of dark chocolate every day might not be such a bad idea afterall. Read on to learn more about how dark chocolate is good for your teeth.

Antioxidants

Yes, just as mentioned above, dark chocolate is filled with antioxidants due to the lovely nature of the all-natural cocoa bean. Specifically, the antioxidant Tannin— the ingredient that gives dark chocolate its bitter taste— is what is good for your teeth as it helps to rid your teeth of harmful bacteria. Additionally, polyphenols and flavonoids are also good for your teeth as they work to neutralize bad breath and prevent tooth decay.

The Cocoa Bean

Although it would be nice to say that all forms of chocolate are good for your dental health, that’s unfortunately not the case. Both milk and white chocolates have a lower amount of cocoa in them, making them a less healthy option. However, dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa in it is the type of healthy chocolate you should be reaching for the next time you hit the grocery store or movie theater. Although this type of bitter dark chocolate may get some getting used to, it’s good to get into the habit of providing your body with the nutrients it needs in order to maintain both a healthy body and mouth.

The next time someone tells you to “Slowly back away from the chocolate”, hit them with this information on how dark chocolate is actually beneficial to your oral health, and they are bound to leave you alone.

To learn more about dental care or to schedule an appointment with one of our dental professionals, contact our office today!