Are Christmas cavities an inevitable component of the winter season? It’s certainly a challenge for parents –ensuring their children aren’t saturated with sugary snack sweets, the consequences of which affect oral health in many significant ways.
The first thing parents should know is that certain candies are considered far worse than others; your average Jolly Rancher can wreak havoc in the span of just a few minutes. Hard candies like suckers actually keep the teeth exposed to sugar for extended periods of time, almost guaranteed to coat teeth in the process. It’s recommended you limit your child’s access to these types of candy and even consider donating any excess. It shouldn’t be too difficult finding any takers!
The rule of thumb when it comes to candy consumption is it’s better to consume in a single sitting rather than eating throughout the day. Similar to the logic of avoiding prolonged sugar exposure, giving your kids free reign on candy almost ensures their teeth are coated in plaque throughout the day. Don’t go overboard here – you don’t want your kids filling up on the junk food. Find a healthy balance.
Designate some time throughout the day where snacking is permissible – ideally you want it to be following a meal so your child is already partially full and sometime well ahead of bed time. Sugar produces a great deal of energy when it’s active in your system, making sleep hard to come by. You certainly don’t want to compromise this important component to your child’s health!
Finally, ensure that your child is brushing after they pig out and flossing at least one time per day. Sugar exposure will gradually degrade the protective enamel, so it’s best to have it cleaned out of the mouth immediately. Younger kids may need some more assistance abiding by this principle.