Over thirty years ago, Mike Allen\u2019s Dental Practice was set up in Burton Upon Trent, predominantly to provide general dental care. Time may have moved on, and we now also offer cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening, along with sophisticated procedures like dental implants; but preventative dental care is still at the very heart of what we do.<\/p>\n
Our dental team firmly believe that the results of learning how to care for teeth, as young children, will continue well into our adult years. With this in mind, we take a look at how parents can help to make sure their children have healthy teeth<\/a> and gums.<\/p>\n Keep on eye on what they are eating<\/strong><\/p>\n As children get older, it will be harder to monitor what they eat outside the home. If you are careful about what you feed them from a young age though, there is a chance that they will develop less of a sweet tooth than if you spoil them with sweets etc. Try to encourage them to eat healthily, with perhaps a few sweeter foods for a treat.<\/p>\n Supervise brushing<\/strong><\/p>\n Young children often have very short attention spans and, even if you do supervise them whilst they brush their teeth, they may well start to tell you about their day and become distracted during the two minutes allocated brushing time. This will not contribute to good cleaning and you may need to add additional time until you are satisfied they have brushed them well.<\/p>\n Sugary drinks versus water<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is thought that one of the biggest causes of tooth decay in children is the consumption of sugary carbonated drinks. Whilst these drinks have always been around, it seems that more and more parents allow their children drink these every day. The sugars and acids in these drinks are incredibly harmful to young teeth so really they should be given water to quench their thirst, with sugary drinks being allowed only as a special treat.<\/p>\n