1. Eat Halloween candy and other sugary foods with meals or shortly after mealtime.
- Saliva production increases during meals and helps cancel out acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.
2. Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time.
- Besides how often you snack, the length of time sugary food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to an increased risk for tooth decay.
3. Avoid sticky candies that cling to your teeth.
- The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.
4. Drink more water.
- Drinking optimally fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, look for kinds that are fluoridated.
5. Maintain a healthy diet.
- Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you "fill up" affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums.
6. Avoid beverages with added sugar such as soda, sports drinks or flavored waters.
- When teeth come in frequent contact with beverages that contain sugar, the risk of tooth decay is increased.
7. Chew gum that has the ADA Seal.
- Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals helps reduce tooth decay, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize the acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.
8. Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste.
- Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do a good job of cleaning your teeth.
9. Clean between teeth daily with floss.
- Decay-causing bacteria get between teeth where toothbrush bristles can't reach. Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.
10. Visit an ADA member dentist.
- Regular visits to your ADA-member dentist can help prevent problems from occurring and catch those that do occur early, when they are easy to "treat."
ADA Mouth Healthy Campaign
1. Wipe teeth after bottle or breast feeding.
After bottle or breast feeding your baby, it is important not to let their teeth soak in milk while they sleep. The lingering milk has sugars in it that will damage your baby's teeth. To remove the milk, use a damp cloth and gently wipe their teeth. For older children, send them to bed with a bottle of water, not sugary juices or milk.
2. Say no to gummy vitamins
While gummy vitamins may be an easy way to get your child to take a supplement, the sticky candy clings to the chewing surface of the teeth. To help ward off potential cavities brush teeth after taking a chewable vitamin, or consider a liquid or pill vitamin.
3. Reduce snacking between meals
The average pH of saliva is around 7.0 -- when a meal is eaten, the pH level of your mouth changes. This is a concern because a lower pH level creates a more acidic environment in your mouth which helps to breed cavity-causing bacteria. If snacks are being eaten regularly throughout the day, your mouth hardly gets a chance to return to its normal pH level! While snacks may be a tasty treat for your tummy, too many could lead to cavities.
4. Dilute juices
Juices are a great addition to any breakfast and full of vitamin C! Unfortunately they are also full of sugar that will linger on the teeth. To help prevent decay dilute juices, or drink water afterwards.
5. Make brushing fun!
Many children see brushing as a tedious chore, but healthy teeth do not have to create nightly battles. So tie on some bath towel capes to help save Tooth Town from the evil sugar bugs, or listen to your favorite song as you brush!
