Parenting 101: Five Ways to Keep Your Child’s Teeth Cavity Free

Whether it's hot chocolate in the winter or ice pops in the summertime, most kids love to enjoy a sweet seasonal snack! Unfortunately, all those tasty sugary treats aren’t good for your child’s teeth and can lead to cavities.

What is a Cavity?
A cavity develops when a tooth decays, or breaks down. A cavity is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time.

We know, of course, that you don’t want to be the bad guy denying your kids the occasional sweet; however, did you know that according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 1 in 4 children under the age of 5 already have cavities? WOW is right.

A healthy mouth is much more important  than your kids may think. Having a healthy mouth reduces the risk of:

• heart disease
• stroke
• diabetes
• lung infections
• kidney problems
• and even cancer

To help you and your children maintain a healthy cavity free smile - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois created the BlueCare Dental Connection^SM. This program offers dental plan members tools and information from organizations, like the American Dental Association  that specialize in dental health. We’ve pulled some helpful information from our Dental Wellness Center^TM to help you and your child’s teeth avoid cavities this year.

5 ways to keep your child’s teeth cavity free

1. Remember, sugary foods and drinks consumed as part of a meal are less harmful than when they're consumed as a snack. That's because saliva production increases during meals and helps neutralize acid production and rinse food particles from the mouth.
2. Limit between-meal snacks. Choose nutritious foods for snacks and consider chewing sugarless gum after a snack. Sugarless gum increases saliva flow, which helps wash out food and acid that causes tooth decay.
3. Drink fluoridated water to help prevent tooth decay.
4. Brush teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and floss daily.
5. Encourage your children to eat more fruits and vegetables and less sweets.

How do you help your kids understand the importance of dental hygiene? Do you have any tricks or games you play to help them enjoy learning?

Originally published 7/7/2015; Revised 2018