A mother or father wrote me final week:
“We brush. We floss. We’ve switched toothpaste. However my child nonetheless retains getting cavities. What are we lacking?”
I’ve heard that query lots of of instances. It’s all the time requested with the identical mixture of desperation and guilt.
And it all the time results in the identical reality: Cavities don’t simply come from poor brushing. They arrive from every day habits that really feel innocent.
Goldfish crackers. Gummy nutritional vitamins. Mouths that keep open by way of the night time.
In the event you’ve executed the whole lot “proper” and the cavities maintain coming, this e-mail is for you. Let’s discuss what really makes a distinction.
Let’s begin with the every day multivitamin.
Again within the 90s, we gave our daughters Flintstones nutritional vitamins from Costco. I brushed their tooth each night time and nonetheless noticed that sticky movie clinging to their molars like caramel. They by no means obtained cavities—however a dentist (that’s me) was brushing and flossing their tooth earlier than mattress. Most households don’t have that!
Now the issue is worse. Gummies are all over the place—multivitamins, probiotics, melatonin, magnesium. And whereas they appear like a sensible alternative, they weren’t designed with the mouth in thoughts.
Your child’s tooth doesn’t care if it’s a gummy vitamin or a gummy worm. It reacts the identical means.
In case your baby takes a gummy, right here’s a greater choice: swap to a dental-friendly vitamin like Hiya. I prefer it as a result of it’s sweetened with monk fruit—no sugar, no acidity, and it doesn’t feed the micro organism that trigger cavities or disrupt the oral microbiome. For my eldest granddaughter—who struggled with cavities—this was a recreation changer. She had to surrender her beloved Nordic Naturals gummies, and these made the transition simple.
In the event you bear in mind one factor, make it this: A gummy vitamin day by day does extra injury than goldfish crackers as soon as a month.
Now let’s discuss snacks.
We all know juice and soda aren’t nice. However most mother and father are shocked once I carry up goldfish.
Starchy snacks like crackers and pretzels break down into sugar—they usually stick. They lodge into the grooves of child molars and sit there for hours. That’s the place cavities start.
You don’t need to ban snacks. However you do want to consider texture. Ask: will this cling to tooth? Greatest technique to know is to have some your self! Does it follow your tooth?
Higher choices? Moon Cheese which doesn’t stick and is produced from only one ingredient—cheese. Which means no added sugars, no starches, and nothing that feeds the micro organism behind cavities. Cheese is mineral-rich and helps stabilize oral pH, making it a really tooth-friendly snack. Oh, and might’t overlook my favourite—meat sticks!
An awesome “hack” is chewing xylitol gum in between meals (I like these ones as a result of they’re freed from important oils, which disrupt the oral microbiome). Xylitol doesn’t simply scale back cavity danger—it actively protects in opposition to it. In a single research, xylitol was proven to inhibit the expansion of micro organism within the higher airway, together with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. One other long-term research discovered that xylitol gum helped scale back cavities even 5 years after youngsters stopped utilizing it. And timing issues: analysis exhibits the sooner youngsters begin chewing xylitol gum constantly, the stronger the long-term safety. This isn’t nearly avoiding injury—it’s about serving to the mouth keep wholesome by itself. (PMID: 7486925, PMID: 8281565, PMID: 10096456)
Subsequent: respiratory.
In case your baby sleeps with their mouth open, brushing and flossing received’t be sufficient. Mouth respiratory dries the tissues, lowers oral pH, and creates the perfect circumstances for cavities to thrive.
You’ll be able to’t repair this in a single day, however you can begin retraining the physique.
Right here’s what I like to recommend: Throughout TV time, use MyoTape—a mild, kid-safe tape that encourages lip closure whereas they sit and focus.
Display time works effectively as a result of they’re nonetheless, relaxed, and motivated. Respiratory by way of the mouth is extra noticeable in that state—and it provides you a quiet second to construct consciousness and introduce a brand new behavior with no energy battle.
Begin with 10–quarter-hour. Construct from there.
In case your baby can’t maintain their mouth closed comfortably, one thing deeper could also be occurring. Tongue ties. Enlarged adenoids. A slender palate.
If that’s the case, see a practical dentist or airway-focused ENT. They can assist uncover what’s making nasal respiratory onerous—and what to do subsequent. You will discover a supplier by way of the Practical Dentist Listing or the AADSM (American Academy of Dental Sleep Drugs) listing. These are nice beginning factors for those who’re undecided who to show to.
And at last: water.
In case your baby isn’t consuming a lot water throughout the day, they’re possible not producing sufficient saliva to guard their tooth.
Saliva is your baby’s built-in protection system. It’s stuffed with minerals that rebuild enamel. It buffers acid. It helps the mouth heal itself. However it solely works if the physique is hydrated.
Right here’s what occurs: each time your baby eats—particularly carbs or sugar—acid ranges within the mouth rise. That acid pulls minerals from the enamel, weakening it. However saliva steps in. It brings again calcium, phosphate, and different minerals to rebuild the enamel. That’s remineralization. And when it really works, it could cease cavities earlier than they begin.
However it could’t work in case your baby is dry.
When youngsters are dehydrated, saliva slows down. The pH drops. Acid builds. Micro organism thrive. It will get even worse at night time, particularly for mouth breathers. They get up with a dry mouth and no safety.
The repair isn’t fancy. It’s good quaint water. Particularly after meals and snacks, when acid is at its peak. And in case your baby resists water, give them a particular straw or allow them to pick a water bottle. I really like this flavored electrolyte—it’s non-acidic with a pH of about 6.5, which is near impartial and much safer than many in style electrolyte drinks that fall effectively under the vital pH threshold. Lemon Lime is my favourite taste.
Brushing and flossing matter—however they’re not the entire image.
In case your baby retains getting cavities, don’t blame your self. Have a look at the every day habits.
The excellent news is: you possibly can shift the sample. One determination, one behavior, one alternative at a time. That’s how actual prevention works. And it’s how your child’s story modifications.
Know a mother or father combating this? Ahead this to them. It is likely to be the primary time they’ve heard a dentist join the dots between on a regular basis habits and tooth decay—with actual options.
Discuss quickly,
Mark (Dr. B)
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P.S. Pictured under: real-world testing by the grandkid panel. Nobody’s requested for his or her gummies again. One of many perks of getting a grandpa for a dentist is getting recruited for stuff like this. I used to be genuinely excited to seek out a youngsters’ vitamin made with tooth in thoughts—no sugar and nothing that undoes the work we’re doing to guard their mouths.
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