Snack Attack!

What you put into your picnic could help prevent tooth decay

We really couldn’t have had a better summer and especially now that it is lasting well into the school holidays. We’re sure that in future years so many youngsters will look back with glorious memories of the long sunny days of 2018 … the trips to the seaside and days in the park, countryside walks and visits to exciting venues such as the zoo.  Happy, carefree days with delicious treats such as ice cream, pop and picnics. And we wouldn’t want to change a thing … except perhaps what you pack into your picnic hamper to help prevent tooth decay.By choosing non-sugary snacks and avoiding sweet fizzy drinks you’ll be doing an awful lot to prevent tooth decay and you’ll also be helping to keep your children’s teeth healthy and pain free today, tomorrow and into the future.We know that it’s traditional and that the children love to binge on sweet things, but too many sweets, cakes, biscuits and constantly snacking on sticky sweet treats can be devastating for young teeth. Likewise, sweet drinks and especially sugary, fizzy drinks pose a real danger to children’s teeth.Yet it couldn’t be easier to prevent tooth decay!The next time you pack a picnic for your children just pause and consider the alternatives. Try savoury snacks instead of sweet. Give them cool, sugar-free drinks instead of sugar-laden ones. And definitely think again about fizzy drinks because the carbon dioxide used to create the bubbles could not be worse for little teeth.At Carisbrook we come across children who are suffering from tooth decay on a regular basis. It can be painful and distressing, yet if parents thought about preventative dentistry a little more there would be massively less need for drastic dental treatment – including extractions and fillings.Likewise we couldn’t emphasise more strongly the need for patents to instil in their young children the importance of regular teeth cleaning and dental hygiene. In the early years you’ll need to brush their teeth for them, but even as they grow older it is still important that you supervise the brushing to make sure that they clean their teeth regularly and properly.Our cleaning advice page provides a number of videos and lots of good advice.The other piece of advice we would give is that you should ensure young children (even toddlers) receive regular dental check-ups. For one thing is that they will quickly get used to seeing the dentist and are less likely to become a nervous patient in later years. Secondly, if any minor problems are spotted these can be fixed before tooth decay becomes an issue meaning that teeth have to be extracted (usually in hospital and under general anaesthetic).So do make the most of this sizzling summer, but please… do think carefully about what you pack into your picnic and consider how you can help to prevent tooth decay.If you feel worried that your child may be suffering from tooth decay or if you would like to make an appointment for one of our dentists to check over your children’s teeth, or if you would like to chat about cleaning advice please do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us on 0161 951 7295 or alternatively you can contact us by using the online form on our Appointments page.