February Is National Children’s Dental Health Month

Let’s Talk About Teeth

Let’s talk about teeth — your kids’ teeth, to be specific. As a parent, you want to keep your children’s dentist visits short and happy: examination, cleaning — and no drilling. Since it’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, now is a great time to talk about how you can help keep your kids’ teeth strong and healthy, and the key may be as close as your fridge.

Reduce Tooth Decay

Tooth decay occurs when the bacteria in your mouth use sugar and starch to produce acid. This acid dissolves the minerals — primarily calcium and phosphate — in a tooth’s surface enamel, resulting in cavities. The good news is that calcium found in Hiland Dairy Milk and other dairy products can help reduce tooth decay by helping replenish the calcium lost to acidic attack. Not only that, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association also found that drinking milk after eating sugary cereal helped reduce bacterial acid more than drinking water or apple juice.

In addition, dairy products contain the protein casein, which can create a protective film over a tooth’s enamel surface when combined with calcium and phosphorous.

Keeping Your Kids’ Teeth Healthy

So, if you want to keep your kids’ teeth healthy, make sure they see a dentist at least once a year for a checkup, make sure they brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste and give them lots of wholesome, fresh milk and other dairy products from Hiland Dairy!