• A Well rounded diet is good for general health and oral health.
• Avoid overuse of sugar.
• Yogurt, cheese, and milk are good for the teeth because each contains calcium which helps with bone and teeth development.

Juices and Sweet Drinks

• Sweet drinks include all fruit juices or soft drinks either bought or homemade. These drinks contain sugars which are found naturally in fresh fruits, but become very concentrated when made into juice or when used to make a soft drink. Under most circumstances, children do not need any fruit juice or other sweet drinks to have a balanced and healthy diet. Too many sweet drinks can lead to a range of problems including tooth decay, diarrhea and small appetite. If including sweet drinks in a child's diet, limit consumption to one small glass per day.
• Diet colas which contain no/less sugar can be harmful to the teeth because of the acid in the drink.
  
  

Tooth Decay

Children who have a sugary diet are at risk of tooth decay. For babies and toddlers, problems start when a bottle is used for comfort when going to sleep, to suck during the night, or to snack on during the day. If the bottle contains any drink other than water - even milk - the sugar in the fluid sits on the teeth and gums for some time. This can cause decay, even before any teeth have broken through. Avoid using a feeding bottle for comfort and encourage the child to drink from a cup beginning at about six months of age.

Non-Nutritive Sucking

Sucking is a natural reflex for infants. Most infants require some amount of additional sucking beyond that needed for nourishment. This type of sucking known as non-nutritive sucking, provides emotional benefits, enabling infants to calm themselves and focus attention. If parents choose to have their infants suck pacifiers, health professionals can advise them to take certain safety precautions. The following precautions are recommended:

• Never attach a pacifier to a ribbon or string around the infant’s neck.
• Make sure the pacifier is of sturdy, one-piece construction and that the material is flexible, firm, and not brittle.
• Keeping the pacifier clean.
• Do not dip a pacifier into sweetened foods (e.g. honey, syrup, sugar) to encourage sucking.
• Do not orally clean (with parent or guardian mouth) a pacifier before giving it to an infant.
   

Suggestions for Parents
 

• Frequency of eating. Each time carbohydrate-containing foods are consumed, acids are released on teeth for about 20 to 40 minutes. The greater the frequency of eating, the more opportunity for acid production.
• Food characteristics. Some foods tend to cling or stick to the teeth. While one might not think of them as sticky, cooked starches such as chips and crackers rank higher on the list of sticky foods than candy bars and toffee. A food’s characteristics affect the time that it remains in the mouth. Foods that are slow to dissolve, such as cookies and granola bars, are in longer contact with the teeth, providing more time for the acids to damage enamel, as opposed to food that dissolves quickly such as jelly beans.
• Whether a food is eaten as part of a meal. Saliva production is increased during the eating process to help neutralize acid and clear food from the mouth.
• Starches can cause caries. Starches in general—from bread and crackers to sugars from fruit, milk, honey, molasses, corn sweeteners, and refined sugar—can all produce the acids that damage teeth.
  
   

• Disclosing tablets contain a harmless colored dye that is attracted to the plaque on teeth. The tablet causes the plaque to turn a different color so people can have a better idea of where they need to brush.
• Disclosing tablets use is simple. Take a tablet, chew it up and swish the accumulated saliva in the mouth for 60 seconds, spit and rinse. Now the disclosing tablet dye has colored the plaque on the teeth allowing the person to easily see areas that need special attention. The special dye is easy to remove with a toothbrush. Some disclosing tablets have a special "two tone" added feature. Old plaque will be colored blue, new plaque will be colored red. Brush the teeth, chew another disclosing tablet and take a look at the teeth. It is easy to see the missed areas on the teeth and the areas which need special attention.
• Disclosing tablets can be important in teaching children to brush properly.
• Parents should be aware that the dye in the tablets can stain clothing.
  
   

• While there is no question that chewing gum promotes tooth decay, there is evidence that shows that just the opposite is true for sugar-free gum. Studies have shown that using sugar-free chewing gum after meals and snacks, especially when brushing your teeth at those times is impractical, helps reduce the acid level in the mouth and may lessen the chance of tooth decay. Chewing gum stimulates the normal rate of saliva flow, which washes away food particles and acid produced by bacteria in oral plaque and neutralizes the acids that dissolve the protective surfaces of the teeth. Chewing sugar-free gum is not intended to replace tooth brushing and flossing.
• If people chew gum be sure to make it sugar-free.

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