Alternative Therapies

A new research claims that frequent teeth brushing in kids, especially after every meal turns out to be more dangerous for kids than helpful. The research suggests that more than 79 percent of dentists are reporting acid erosion of the teeth on a weekly basis in kids. In addition, more than 53 percent of the kids aged 5 years seem to have a teeth problem where the enamel of the tooth rots away because of acid-containing foods and drinks.

Jimmy Steele, from the University of Newcastle is of the opinion that adult teeth begins to grow at the age of 6 which eventually stay on for a lifetime. In order to build the endurance of teeth, kids need to be trained on keeping them safe and protected before they attain 6 years itself.

Teeth-Training Tips
Parents can encourage their kids to keep their teeth less affected by the atrocities of foods and drinks by the following means:

• Teach your kids to consume acidic drinks with the help of a straw that is placed at the back of the mouth and away from the teeth
• Discourage your kids to brush their teeth immediately after eating acidic foods and drinks because at this point the teeth enamel is softest and can be scraped

Experts opine that the main cause of “acid erosion” is not just fizzy drinks alone but ones that contain fruits with high acidic content. Experts opine that eating oranges or sucking on the juice of oranges can also have a drastic effect on the teeth thereby causing acid erosion.

Another disturbing trend that emerged form the study was that nearly 93 percent and more parents were weary or unaware about the foods and drinks that were acidic in nature. In addition, about 58 percent of the parents claimed that their kids mixed foods with sauces and dressings without realizing the effects of acid erosion on their teeth.

Orthodontic specialists like Dr Peter Huntley claim that this could be an emerging problem with the new generation of kids who are so careless abut their eating habits and lifestyles. Keeping a check on their eating patterns and type of foods eaten has to start as early as before 6 years in order to save the young ones from enamel destruction which is caused by acidic foods and drinks.