Children’s Bad Dental Habits Damaging Their Teeth
Everyone wants their children to have healthy white teeth leaving them with confidence resulting in a beautiful smile. Knowing about children’s bad dental habits and the harm they can do can help a parent lessen or remove the possibilities of damage to their teeth later in life. Below we list five children’s bad dental habits and the negative effects they can have.
Sucking On Sippy Cups
Congratulations! Your child has progressed from bottles to sippy cups. While this is a great milestone, you must take certain precautions.
Make sure your child does not have the cup with them all day. You also must make sure they do not have it with them at night. Constantly sipping on milk, juice, or any other sweetened liquid will prevent their saliva from rinsing away sugars that cause tooth decay.
Limit your child’s time with a sippy cup to meal and snack times. After giving your young child a sugary drink, rinse their mouth out with water.
Chewing On Pencils
When your child becomes old enough to go to school, it is not uncommon for them to start chewing on their pencils. It’s a very common habit. Chewing on pencils introduces bacteria into your child’s mouth and erodes the surfaces of their teeth. It can also cause serious injury if your child falls while the pencil is in their mouth. It is essential for a parent to check their child’s pencils to see if they are chewing on them so as to stop this bad habit early.
Nail Biting
Nail-biting is a very common habit among children. Roughly 30 to 60 percent of children bite their nails. Not only is this habit bad for nails, but it can also cause serious damage to children’s teeth.
Not only will nail-biting increase the risk of cracking, chipping and wearing down teeth it can lead to bruxism (unintentional grinding of the teeth). Bruxism typically leads to sensitivity in the teeth and facial pain.
A sharp fingernail can also scratch and tear the gum tissue which will enable bacteria to enter resulting in infection.
As with pencil chewing, it is best to notice this habit early on. The earlier a bad habit is caught the easier it is to stop.
Drinking Soda
It is a known fact that carbonated sodas are bad for your teeth and overall health, however, when it comes to your children’s teeth, they are even worse. Try to keep soda out of your home and do not give send one-off in their school lunch box. The alternative for a sweet drink would be juice that is low in sugar.
Teeth Grinding
A child who grinds their teeth will eventually wear them down and experience pain in their jaw. While teeth grinding is sometimes caused by stress or anxiety, it is more often caused by an abnormal bite or crooked teeth.
Visiting a dentist is always recommended to find the exact cause. Wearing a mouth guard that is custom-made by the dentist is usually an effective way to stop and prevent teeth grinding.
Stop Your Child’s Bad Dental Habits
It is important that your child starts adopting positive dental habits when they are young. This will help them have better dental health as they continue to grow older.
All children deserve to get the best dental care.
At Suburban Essex Dental, Dr. Paul Feldman is passionate about providing the best dental care for all children. Our comfortable office and friendly staff are always welcoming and kind. The office is located in West Orange, NJ in Essex County. Feel free to give us a call to set up your child’s dental appointment.
