Vitamins and Minerals for Good Oral Health of your Kids

You must be aware that minerals and vitamins are necessary for the overall health of our body but are you aware that these nutrients are equally necessary for the oral health? Each vitamin and mineral have different benefits for your oral hygiene especially kids as they are growing and require nutrients for development of their bones and teeth. There are some nutrients that are specifically great for the teeth and gums of your children.

Kids must get vitamins from a healthy and balanced diet, which should include:

• Milk including dairy products like yogurt and cheese and mostly low-fat items for kids over 3 year
• Sufficient amount of fresh fruits and green and leafy vegetables
• Whole grains and cereals like brown rice and steel cut oats
• Protein in fish, eggs, chicken and meat

Which Kids Need Vitamin Supplements?
Due to busy parents, home-cooked food may not be always available for well-rounded meals hence it is recommended to have a daily multivitamin supplement for:

• Children who are not eating daily and balanced meals comprising of fresh and whole foods
• Fussy kids who are not eating enough
• Children with chronic medical conditions like digestive troubles or asthma, particularly if the kid is under medications, it is advisable to speak with the dentist for kids first prior to starting a supplement in case your child is under medication
• Specifically active children who play physically demanding games
• Children eating a great deal of fast foods, processed foods and convenience foods
• Children eating vegetarian diet; as they may lack iron and require iron supplement, a dairy-free diet; they may require calcium supplement, or any other restricted diet
• Children who consume a whole lot of carbonated sodas, which can extract minerals and vitamins from their bodies

Top Minerals and Vitamins Necessary for Oral Health of Kids

Some of the minerals and vitamins are necessary and are important for growing children and their dental growth, which include:

Vitamin A

It catapults usual development; bone, teeth and tissue repair work; along with healthy eyes, skin, and promotes immune responses. Some great sources of Vitamin A include cheese, milk, cheese, yellow and orange vegetables like squash, yams, carrots, eggs etc.

Vitamin B

There is a package of B vitamins — B2, B3, B6, and B12 that aids metabolism, produces energy and healthy nervous and circulatory systems. Some good sources of vitamin B include chicken, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, milk, beans, cheese, soybeans etc.

Vitamin C

This vitamin simulates healthy muscles, skin and connective tissues as said by kid’s dentists. Best sources of this vitamin include kiwi, citrus fruit, tomatoes, lemon, strawberries, and green vegetables.

Vitamin D

It promotes tooth and bone development and allows the body absorbs calcium. This vitamin is found in abundance in milk and other consolidated dairy products, fish oil and egg yolks. The most ideal source of this vitamin is the natural one — sunlight.

Calcium

It helps build consolidated bones and teeth of a child. Some ideal sources are milk, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-based orange juice.

Iron

It builds muscle and is also essential for developing red blood cells and development of teeth. Iron deficiency may pose threat in adolescence, particularly for girls when they reach their puberty. Some best sources of iron include red meats, beef, spinach, turkey, spinach, beans, and pork.

Megavitamins

Giving heavy doses of minerals and vitamins aren’t suggested for children by us. Vitamin A, D, E and K, which are fat-soluble vitamin, may act as toxic to kids if overdose is taken. The same is applicable for the iron supplement too.

Fresh Foods – The Ideal Source of Best Vitamins

Healthy children receive the best health depending on what you give them to eat. If you wish to see your kids healthy and fit, serving a great variety of whole and fresh foods is the key. This is far much better than offering kids multivitamin supplements. It has been established that most minerals and vitamins in foods are having high quantity of proteins and carbohydrates and least quantity of fats. Fresh vegetable fruit also add to its nutritional package.

To offer kids a complete food, aim for variety of food, vegetable and fruits not just more food. Deficiency of proper nutrition may lead to several tooth disorders like well gums, teeth and cavities.

Sound nutrition is instrumental in developing and strengthening your child’s learning and bone and teeth development. It is suggested by the kid’s dentists to strict on feeding a wide range of healthy foods to your children rather than getting tempted by cartoon characters that are selling supplements. It will not only promote the overall development of your kid but it will also consolidate their teeth, which is often recommended by Dentist for kids.

Taking Care Of Your Kids Teeth At Different Age

From the age of 3 to 12, cavity, plaque and tooth decay are very common, impacted by not following good oral hygiene tips or due to some bad habits or due to having diet & food comprise of high sugar or acid. Maintaining healthy teeth in kids is a key responsibility of every parent and taking care from its initial growth is much beneficial than taking care after occurring any dental issue or problem.

In this post, Kids dentistry specialist from Monash Dental Group explains about different stages when your kid’s teeth start to grow and essential tips for avoiding decay.

At the time of Teething, Age 3 Months

Teething beings at the age of 3 months and during this time, it is possible that your baby may suffer from fever, rashes or diarrhea and feels uncomfortable. There are certain medicines are available which you can give to your baby with dentist recommendation

After around 1 year of birth, baby teeth start to appear and it gets initiated with first two front teeth. During the time, when you feed only liquid food to your baby, you should avoid habits like feeding your baby at night with a bottle and develop habits of cleaning the baby’s mouth with a soft cloth after feeding. At the age of around 3, all 20 baby teeth will appear and taking good oral hygiene described in next point is necessary to follow. Baby bottle tooth decay is very common which occurred due to feeding any kind of sugary drink at night for making them asleep.

Age 3 when all 20 teeth appeared

Even if the baby teeth aren’t permanent and fall with the time, a good oral care is must create a healthy platform in jawbone for adult teeth and to avoid issues like misalignment, earlier tooth lost or gum disease which potentially impact on growth of adult teeth.

Doing brushing & flossing twice becomes important for strong teeth. Habits like thumb sucking, lip sucking or habit of Sippy cups should be avoided as preventive care tips which may leads to issues like overbite, under bite or crowded teeth.

If your kids start brushing at this age, you should make sure that they don’t swallow the toothpaste and must split it out or dark spot may appear on the tooth’s surface on swallowing fluoride based toothpaste.

Age Between 6 to 12

At this age, baby teeth start falling and permanent teeth start to appear. If your kids suffering from issues like tooth decay or gum disease, you should get it resolved as soon as possible before the adult teeth appear.

If the decay or gum disease reaches to the root of the tooth, it will impact on the growth of permanent teeth.

When few or all the adult teeth appear in your kids, it is recommended to visit a dentist or orthodontic specialist for ensuring the proper growth of the teeth as early orthodontic treatment gives the best result in minimum possible time compared to doing at adult age.

For Teenage, age 13-19

Now, your kids become teenagers and they become mature enough to understand the importance of maintaining oral hygiene. Still, type of diet also impacts on tooth decay or disease as eating sugary food or drinks frequently can also cause such a problem even following the good oral habits.

Additional Tips for Preventing Decay: (Things to Keep in Mind: )

• As described before, schedule an appointment with child dentist at age of 4-6 months (after teething), 1 year, 3 years and 6 years with the gradual growth of teeth as described previously for evaluation of proper growth and oral hygiene.
• Try to make a habit of not feeding your baby at night with a bottle or sippy cups.
• The precise amount of fluoride is necessary for healthy teeth which is present in water and in toothpaste. Don’t give fluoride from external resources to your kids unless it is recommended by dentists.
• Make your kids a habit of rinsing mouth after every meal to flush out the food particles hidden between teeth gaps or at corner.
• Limit the sugary food from daily diet and include vegetable, fruits and grains which are source of vitamin and mineral.

Questions Every Mom Should Concern About Their Kids Oral Hygiene

Giving an extra care for your kid’s oral hygiene from the beginning of the birth, when baby teeth start to appear can avoid lots of issues which your kids may face later if proper care isn’t taken before. In our last blog, “Bad Habits in kids and its impact on oral health” we have explained certain bad habits that should be avoided or should be taken care by parents. In this post, we are going to highlight answers to some most important questions to educate and aware parents for various concerns for oral hygiene.

What’s the right time to consult with dentist First time?

When baby teeth start to appear, your kids may face certain health issues, count to be very natural one. At this time, you can consult with the kids dentist to know the possible steps which can solve this issue and proper guidance on taking care of baby teeth and information on the type of foods or liquid you should avoid. After the first visit, you can schedule your appointment every six months.

During teething, to distract your kids from pain, you can give something your kids can chew like a teething ring, sugar free gel or pain relief recommended by your kids dentist.

Is there any connection between thumb sucking and oral health?

If it’s too much, it can cause a problem like overbite or underbite or improper alignment. It’s seen very commonly while the appearance of permanent teeth and the habit should be left by the time. If it isn’t, parents need to educate their kids by some rewards or forcefully.

Is there any Possibility of decay on baby teeth while feeding with a bottle?

Yes, there are chances of decay when you start to give milk to your baby from external resources like a bottle or sipping cup. Below mentioned things should be followed while feeding your baby with a bottle.

• Clean the teeth with a soft cloth after feeding
• If possible, avoid feeding with a bottle at night
• Avoid your kids keeping a bottle in mouth a whole day or before a sleep

An Ideal time for baby teeth growth?

Around the age of 4 months, baby teeth begin to appear and generally at the age of 3 years, your kids will have all 20 baby teeth also known as milk teeth.

If it doesn’t appear even after six months of the birth, you should consult with dentist to evaluate any other issue to ensure good oral health.

What’s the Right Age for brushing?

At the age of around 2 years, it is ok to start brushing. If your kids have a habit to swallow toothpaste, it is recommended to use toothpaste built for kids or toothpaste with low fluoride. Proper education of brushing is necessary for positive impact. Bad habits like brushing hardly in vertical or horizontal direction are bad for baby teeth. Also take care to give soft bristle brush to your kids.

What about bottles and Sippy cups?

After stopping the breast feeding, feeding them with baby bottle is quite essential for your kids. At the age of 1 year, you should stop feeding with a bottle. The habit of sippy cups isn’t count to be a good one but if your kids don’t leave any choice for you, at the age of 2 to 3 years, parents must develop a habit of drinking without sippy cups.

As explained in third questions, the bottle is a key reason for baby tooth decay. If your kids have a habit of Sippy cups, ensure your kids clean the teeth and rinse the mouth properly after taking any sugary liquid with Sippy cups.

Should my kid use Mouthwash?

Most of the mouthwash has a high contain of fluoride which is dangerous if swallowed by your kids. If your kid is pretty mature and understands it clearly, it is ok to use mouthwash.

What to do if my Kids Grind the Teeth during sleep?

Teeth grinding is common among kids. Depending on the habit and frequency, teeth grinding can cause issues like overbite. If you observed it too much, the problem can be avoided somehow with a mouth guard, designed customly by your dentist according to kid’s denture.

If a baby tooth gets cracked or chipped?

Generally, parents ignore such a situation and avoid visiting the dentist as they think it’s just a temporary tooth and permanent tooth will replace the cracked one. When it happens, the pulp of the root and enamel get exposed and bacteria find a way to enter to the nerve of the root which can cause serious gum disease which can impact on the growth of the permanent tooth as well. So, it is recommended to take your kids to the dentist and go through a procedure to seal the pulp.

In Above post, we have posted questions about most common issues we have observed at our dental clinic in kids. If we have missed anything, you can directly ask to our children dentist with specialization in children dentistry for any kind of