Oral hygiene is important and the beginning of the year is a good time for a reminder.

I didnt realize about the banana’s! will definitely be upping my game with the kids after eating them!

Have to build in good habits such as brushing the teeth as early as possible, make it fun and a non negotiatable.

Sugar is such a damaging insidious ingredient in our food today. We all need to learn to read labels before buying products and try to stick to fresh food and home cooking to optimise our health. Way too much hidden sugar in food products nowadays

Trying to limit sugar seems impossible sometimes in todays age and also wrestling with a toddler about brushing their teeth. None of my kids have had a cavity yet though so I must be doing something right though.

Wow I love the tip about celery – yes it isn’t always possible to brush straight away

When understanding the importance of oral hygiene in keeping teeth and gums healthy it’s crucial to realise the role that sugar can play.

Many people don’t realise how much hidden sugar in food can damage their teeth.

The following information discusses how sugar damages teeth, foods that contain hidden sugar, and tips for good oral care.

How sugar can damage teeth

Whenever we eat sugary foods the bacteria already in our mouths converts the sugars into energy.

Turning sugar into energy takes approximately 20 minutes and produces acid in the process.

These acids will start to erode the enamel of our teeth if we don’t rinse our mouth or brush within a relatively short time after eating.
5 foods that contain hidden sugar

Many foods are obviously bad for a child’s teeth, but there are some foods that are normally considered healthy that are high in sugar.

The following are 5 foods that contain more sugar than people may realise:

Bananas – Bananas are healthy in many ways including high potassium content but also contain about 14 grams of sugar.

Yoghurt – Yoghurt is full of healthy ingredients but it can also have high amounts of sugar. Make sure to choose yoghurt that’s specifically low in sugar content.

Pasta sauce – Store bought pasta sauce is relatively high in sugar. This is true even for the marinara sauce, which is often considered healthier than cream sauce.

Tomato sauce – Kids love tomato sauce on a lot of different foods, but this condiment packs a lot of extra sugar in each serving.

Salad dressing – Adding dressing may seem like a good way to get children to eat salads. Many dressings are full of sugar, however.

at what age do you really start children on brushing their teeth? i have a 15 month old that we help her brush her teeth with at night. just worrying about how much toothpaste she is having as she dont really know how to spit out or rinse her mouth yet.

It’s amazing how much sugar is in the food be buy these days. Even foods marketed healthy have a lot of sugar. I try and make everything to try and limited my families sugar intake and when I have to buy packet food for my child I try and look for foods that have less then 4grams of added sugar for the whole serve.

yeah and everything seems to be packed with sugar these days

preventio tips teeth children

for me – anything in a tin packet or premade is filled with bad fats and sugar products – and to be avoided.

There are so many foods that contain hidden/added sugar, it is scary that foods you wouldn’t consider having much sugar does.
I am already trying to teach my baby good dental health, he is 11 months and I already give him a baby toothbrush to chew/suck on.
Hopefully this will get him used to it come time he has teeth for brushing.

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  • • mom94125 replied
    • 17 Oct 2015 , 3:50 pm

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  yes at this stage thought he can get his teeth cleaned with a cloth.

I worry about this as I have real trouble getting my toddler to brush her teeth!

Excellent and helpful suggestions. Thanks for sharing