Kids love getting dirty: finger food, playing in puddles, creating mud pies, and clothes riddled with marker stains. Messes are part of childhood, but when it comes to oral hygiene, it is super important to keep teeth clean! In addition to brushing and flossing, here are some tips to keep your child’s breath smelling fresh all day long:
- Drink lots of water: The leading cause of bad breath is a dry mouth. Water washes away leftover food particles and can dilute any stinky chemicals or bacteria that may be sitting around.
- Snack on fruits and vegetables: The abrasive quality of fibrous fruits and veggies like apples, celery, pineapple, and carrots, helps to clean teeth and naturally scrub away bacteria.
- Yogurt or cheese: The active bacteria found in cultured dairy, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, reduce bacterial compounds that cause bad breath! (Make sure to have unsweetened yogurt, because added sugars can have the opposite effect!)
- Herbs: Home garden? Let your child chew on herbs like mint, dill, or sage. Essential oils in the leaves naturally freshen breath.
- Sugar free gum: Any snack that increases the amount of saliva in your mouth acts as a natural mouthwash. Sugar free gum and candy contain xylitol, an artificial sugar, which the bad bacteria will cling to.
Pro tip: When deciding between mint or cinnamon, go with the latter! Although mint is good at masking smells, the essential oils in cinnamon are known to fight pesky bacteria!
Adding these habits to your child’s daily routine will be a sure way of keeping bad breath away! Creating a daily oral health routine for your child is immensely important, because an achievable oral hygiene routine goes hand in hand with fresh breath and a healthy smile.
Have any tips yourself? We’d love for you to share them with us next time you’re in the office!
