Taking care that your child is eating the right foods is the most important contribution you can make to her dental health.
- Never let your baby go to sleep with a bottle of juice or milk, as it means your baby’s teeth are bathed continuously is sugar and results eventually in “baby bottle mouth” – a mouth of rotten teeth as early as three years old
- Giving sweet foods between meals increases the number of times the teeth are exposed to harmful acids, so give them at the end of a meal instead
- If you give candy, don’t choose sticky caramels, as these remain on the teeth longer
- Giving cheese at the end of a meal makes saliva alkaline, and helps counteract the acid that erodes teeth
- It is better to give a piece of cake, which can be eaten in a few minutes, than a package of candy that will be eaten all afternoon
- Give your child fruit or unsweetened yogurt as treats to avoid encouraging a sweet tooth.
