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Snacks can taste good and give your child’s energy a boost, but they can also be bad for teeth. Sugary, sticky snacks, such as candy, cookies, and snack cakes can lead to tooth decay if eaten regularly between meals. Still, there are plenty of fun snacks for healthy teeth.

The trick when selecting snacks is to avoid too many added sugars and refined carbohydrates that stay on the teeth and give bacteria a chance to ferment and produce acid from them, which can lead to tooth decay. In addition, snacks should provide nutrients to support a healthy mouth. These are five fun snacks you can feel good about giving to your child.

1. Yogurt and cereal.

Yogurt contains calcium, which is an essential mineral for strong and healthy teeth. Select plain yogurt or yogurt flavored with real fruit, rather than flavored yogurt that is sweetened with added sugar. We recommend choosing a whole-grain cereal, which is less likely to lead to dental caries. Choose a low-sugar or unsweetened cereal to avoid accidentally making the snack as sugary as a candy bar.

2. Tuna and whole-wheat crackers.

Canned tuna contains vitamin D, which is an essential vitamin for helping your body absorb and use calcium. Whole-wheat crackers are natural sources of antioxidants for a strong immune system, and they’re lower in refined carbohydrates than white crackers.

3. Bell pepper strips and hummus.

Red, yellow, and green bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Vitamin C is also a good choice for supporting regeneration or maintenance of healthy gum tissue. Vitamin E is another antioxidant, and it also supports a healthy immune system. A strong immune system is protective against infections, such as bacterial infections associated with gum disease.

4. Turkey and cheese roll-ups.

Turkey is carbohydrate-free, so it doesn’t leave residues of sugars on teeth for bacteria to ferment. Lean ham is another good choice. Low-fat cheddar, mozzarella, or Swiss cheese is a good source of calcium as well as protein. For a more substantial snack that’s still low in carbohydrates and sugar, add a few celery sticks.

5. Peanut butter and carrots.

Peanut butter is another source of vitamin E. Carrots provide vitamin A, which is essential for a strong immune system. You can also substitute cauliflower or broccoli florets for the carrots, and ranch dressing for the peanut butter, and still have a snack that’s fun to eat and good for your child’s teeth.

For more great snack tips, ask a member of our Bowie team at your child’s next appointment!

Long days in the sun’s rays offer you lots of choices for outdoor activities. Beach time? Parks? Baseball, biking, board sports? No matter what plans you have for these sunny days in Bowie, we have some tips to keep your smile beaming.

Use Sunscreen

Sunscreen is good for all ages and shades of skin, and it’s also designed to protect your smile. Lip tissue is thin and delicate, and can easily be damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. UV rays are known to cause skin cancer and premature aging. 

If your regular sunscreen isn’t designed for lips, there are many protective lip balms made especially for kids.

• Make sure you get enough protection. Your lip balm should have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 30 or higher.
• Reapply at least every two hours, and sooner if your lips get wet or if you’re eating or drinking.

Protect Your Smile with a Mouthguard

Mouthguards help protect your teeth from damage caused by impact, whether from hard surfaces or hard elbows! Any time there’s a chance of a fall or a collision, a mouthguard is a good idea. Use your guard for:

• Biking, in-line skating, skateboarding, or any activity where an unexpected fall is possible 
• Contact or low-contact sports like baseball, basketball, and soccer, where bodies collide with equipment or other bodies

If you play organized sports, you might already have a mouthguard. If not, talk to Dr. Dinah Abioro about over-the-counter guards or mouthguards which your dentist can make especially for you. And if you wear braces, no need to stay indoors! There are mouthguards designed to protect your teeth, cheeks, lips, and braces. Ask the team at Dental Land Pediatrics for ideas.

Hydrate

On hot days, our brains help us keep cool. How? By sending our bodies the signal to start sweating! Some heat is transferred from our bodies to evaporate perspiration, which helps cool the skin. But that cooling perspiration comes at a cost—the water we lose through sweat can make us dehydrated. 

Our bodies need water, especially when it’s scorching outside. Drinking water throughout the day is healthier than drinking lots of water at one time, and your doctor can let you know the right amount of water for your body, since we’re not all built the same. A bottle of water doesn’t contain artificial ingredients, caffeine, or sugars, so it’s a great, healthy outdoor companion. 

More? Water is also great for your smile!

• Water washes food particles and bacteria away from teeth and gums for fresher breath and a healthier mouth.
• Most communities add fluoride to their water, and fluoride strengthens tooth enamel to help you fight cavities. If your local water supply isn’t fluoridated, your dentist can tell your family about other treatments which can provide fluoride’s cavity protection.

It’s easy to get distracted with summer activities and vacations—after all, they’re designed to be distracting! But don’t let your well-deserved fun in the sun distract you from your scheduled dental appointments. Regular dental exams catch small problems before they become larger ones, and cleanings make sure your smile is bright all summer long.

Summer can be a time to relax and recharge. While you’re enjoying those extra hours of sun, take care of your oral health for a beaming smile which will look great on you any time of year!

Parents are usually expert at taking care of their children’s injuries. You know how to disinfect a cut, soothe a bump on the head, and apply a bandage faster than you can blink.

But what happens if your child suffers a dental injury? Teeth can get broken, knocked out, or displaced from a forceful impact, and parents ought to know what to do in those situations, too. Luckily, Dr. Dinah Abioro and our team are here to be a resource for such incidents!

Chipped front teeth are a common injury for young children. First, check to see if the teeth have been broken to the nerve. You can tell this is the case if you see layers and a pinkish center.

Then, wiggle each tooth to make sure it is not loose. If the teeth still feel firmly in place, that’s a good sign. Don’t worry if they are a little loose, because they will tighten again with time.

If your child develops a high temperature or bite sensitivity, treatment is necessary and could include a root canal.

A knocked-out tooth is an injury that requires more attention than just observation. Locate the tooth as soon as you can, and touch only the crown, not the root. Rinse any debris gently with milk or water and place the tooth back in its socket as soon as possible.

According to the American Association of Endodontists, a tooth has a high chance of survival and retention for life if it is returned to the socket within five minutes, and possibly up to 60 minutes, if soaked in milk or saline solution in the meantime.

Say your child is elbowed in the mouth and a tooth gets severely displaced but does not get knocked out. Attempt to shift it back into place by applying light pressure, but be careful not to use too much force. Give your child a cold pack for the swelling and contact our office as soon as possible.

Dental emergencies can be frightening for the child as well as the parent. The best advice we can offer is to stay calm and be assured that we are always here to help! Contact us at our Bowie office as soon as you can, if your child encounters a dental emergency.

“Non-nutritive sucking behavior”? That’s a mouthful—literally! This term describes behaviors such as thumb sucking and pacifier use, which are generally healthy, self-soothing activities for infants and toddlers. But, if followed too long, this comforting habit can have uncomfortable consequences for your child’s dental health.

When children are nursed or bottle-fed, placing a nipple in the mouth helps trigger the sucking reflex, enabling the flow of milk or formula. This is called nutritive sucking, because nourishment is the goal. The sucking reflex is so essential that it develops even before birth. And while the purpose of this reflex is nourishment, it provides other benefits as well.

For small children, sucking can be a comfort mechanism to help them cope with stressful situations and calm themselves. That’s why you often see your child sucking on a pacifier, toy, thumb, or fingers when feeling overwhelmed or tired. Non-nutritive sucking behavior, or NNSB, refers to these habits: sucking without nutritional benefit.

Such habits are extremely common in young children. Most children stop sucking their thumbs or pacifiers between the ages of two and four, and often even earlier. But if your child hasn’t, it’s a good idea to talk to Dr. Dinah Abioro about easing your child away from this familiar habit before the permanent teeth start to arrive.

Why? Because when sucking behavior lasts too long, it can have orthodontic consequences. Just as the gentle pressure of braces or aligners can help shift teeth and jaws into the proper alignment, the pressure from sucking thumb and pacifier can push growing teeth and jaws out of alignment.

• Studies have shown a clear link between NNSB and malocclusions, or bite problems. These include overjets (protruding upper teeth), open bites (where the upper and lower teeth don’t make contact when biting down), and crossbites (where one or more upper fit teeth inside lower teeth).
• As young bones are still growing, prolonged, vigorous sucking can affect the shape and size of a child’s palate and jaw.
• When the teeth are pushed out of alignment, difficulties with pronunciation, such as lisps, can develop.

Sucking habits can be difficult to give up. If your child is still self-comforting with the help of thumb or pacifier past age three, and certainly if you’ve noticed any changes in teeth or speech, there are several gentle, positive steps you can take to protect your child’s dental health.

• Talk to Dr. Dinah Abioro about strategies for weaning your child from pacifier and thumb, as well as possible comforting substitutes. Your healthcare team can offer suggestions for making this transition as easy as possible for your child—and for you!
• Discuss recommendations you’ve found in books or online which might be a good match for your child’s personality. Whatever you decide on, whether it’s a gradual phasing out, small rewards, a goals chart, or any other method, use positive reinforcement and plenty of encouragement.
• Set easy goals at the beginning, such as going thumb-free while playing a game, or enjoying a favorite video, or any stress-free activity, to give your child a feeling of accomplishment to build on.
• Be proactive with orthodontic health. One good idea is to schedule an orthodontic visit when your child is around the age of seven—or earlier if you notice problems with tooth alignment, speech, or bite.

Thumb sucking and pacifier use can be important, instinctive sources of comfort for very young children. And, of course, NNSB is not the only cause of childhood malocclusions. Many bite problems are genetically based and/or affected by the size and shape of your child’s teeth and jaws.

But eliminating the preventable oral health problems caused by prolonged non-nutritive sucking behaviors—that’s an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up. After all, wanting to ensure healthy, confident smiles for our children is instinctive parental behavior!