Dental Hygeine Tips for Candy Season

With the passing of summer, the fall season brings cooler weather, shorter days and an abundance of CANDY! You might have noticed the stores are already pushing their supplies of Halloween treats to the forefront of the aisles and people are sharing their fall-inspired dessert recipes left and right. From caramel apples to pumpkin spice lattes, to chocolate candy and all the other sugar-laden goodies we're bombarded with this season, it's important to remember a few simple but critical things about taking care of our dental health.

In this post, we'll go over a few tips for everyone with a sweet tooth. Whether you're concerned about your child's teeth or your own, these reminders should help you maintain your healthy and beautiful smile!

Ways to Keep Teens and Young Adults on Track with Their Dental Care

For parents, instilling the importance of routine dental care in their children is an ongoing process. As kids grow up and become more independent and responsible, it's easy to assume that they're taking care of brushing regularly, flossing, and eating healthy snacks. Or is it?

Anyone living with teens and young adults knows that with their erratic schedules and sleep patterns that monitoring their activities, including dental hygiene, is far easier said than done. Some may even compare keeping tabs on these age groups similar to herding cats!

As a parent, maintaining the foundation for dental hygiene that you've built through childhood is difficult during this murky period. Here are a few suggestions from Dr. Melcher that should help:

• Appeal to your young person's vanity and remind them that having fresh breath and a white smile will make them more attractive to peers and others.
• Create two dental "tool-kits," one for home and one for their car or sports bag. Fill it with everything they could possibly need such as: a toothbrush, fluoride toothpaste, floss, dental rinse, tongue scraper, and lip balm. Encourage them to use all of the products and let you know when items need replenishing.
• Let them say "Yum" to gum. In recent years, the ADA has supported the use of sugarless chewing gum as an effective tool in the fight against tooth decay. According to the ADA, chewing gum after a meal increases the flow of saliva in the mouth, which in turn, "actually helps to neutralize and wash away the acids that are produced when food is broken down by the bacteria in plaque on your teeth." However, not all chewing gum acts in this way-offer your young adults only sugarless brands that bear the ADA seal of approval AND discuss the proper disposal methods for chewing gum!
• Since nagging is usually ineffective, set your child up for success by having healthy snacks at home and plenty of water to drink. Make these items "grab & go" friendly and designate a specific pantry spot and another area in the fridge for cut-up fresh fruits and veggies, cheese, whole grain pretzels, crackers, packages of nuts and dried fruit. Also, purchase a few BPA-free water bottles and have them filled, chilled and ready to grab.
• In the ongoing quest to make brushing fun, discuss how brushing to some favorite music will ensure that proper brushing time is achieved. If music is not easily accessible, outfit the bathroom space with a small radio or mp3 player as an added incentive. A small, 3-minute hourglass style egg timer is another way to increase brushing time.
• For those young people who play contact sports, wearing a mouth guard and having a spare in their gym bag is non-negotiable!
• To encourage young people to be in charge of their dental health, make sure their dentist's office has their e-mail address and cell phone number as well as yours. That way, they will receive appointment reminders and any other helpful communications sent from their dentist's office.
• It's never too late to remind older kids about the importance of regular brushing and flossing along with the correct "how-to's," such as brushing gently in circles in the direction the teeth grow and flossing between every single tooth. Improper brushing can result in receding gums and gum disease.

Of course, scheduling regular checkups and cleanings are part of a successful dental health routine. Please call our office to schedule an appointment. Our team of dental professionals will also be happy to discus and demonstrate proper brushing and flossing techniques with your young adult or teenager. Just give us a call at: (919) 782-0548

The Importance of Dental Care for Teens

Teens are busy with school, sports, and social schedules, so you can be assured that taking care of their teeth is not exactly at the top of most teens' "To-Do" lists. Many teenagers may neglect their dental hygiene, even though their childhoods were likely filled with regular dental visits and lots of parental reinforcement about the importance of regular brushing, flossing, and making healthy food choices. As they begin driving and being away from home more, it's almost impossible to know for sure if they are taking proper care of their teeth at all!

By the time the teen years roll around, it takes more than anticipated visits from the tooth fairy to ensure good habits are in check for first-rate dental health. The late middle school and high school years are also when many young people either have braces or have just had them removed. The diligent flossing and brushing that took place during the time the braces were on certainly should not be abandoned when they come off!

The key to ensuring that teenagers take excellent care of their teeth and gums is this: make it extremely easy for them. Here are a few pointers:

• Do discuss (one more time) how vital regular brushing and flossing are for maintaining dental health, white teeth, healthy gums, and fresh breath.
• Talk with your teenager about the importance of eating wholesome, natural foods and snacks rather than those loaded with sugar, additives, and artificial ingredients. Then, make those food items readily available at home by stocking the fridge and pantry with choices such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, low fat dairy like yogurt and string cheese, and whole grain crackers.
• If they play contact sports, mountain bike, skateboard or snowboard, impress upon them that participating without a mouthguard is not an option.
• Assemble a few dental kits to ensure they'll always have what they need. Put one in their bathroom and one in their car or gym bag. Include these items: dental rinse, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and sugarless gum. For the "on-the-go" kit, include a water bottle, to make rinsing easier!
• Invest in a Sonicare electric toothbrush and several battery-operated ones as well. Again, the key to success is having the right tools on hand. 

As always, be sure to keep your teen on-schedule with his or her routine appointments at Implant & General Dentistry in Raleigh. Give us a call if you're not when your next appointment is: 919-782-0548