Education

"Why are my Child's Teeth So Bad?"
In over 30 years of dental practice this is probably one of the questions I get asked the most.. It is usually followed by “I brush my child’s teeth at least twice a day and I don’t let them eat many sweets.” For years the dental profession has focused on what are traditionally considered the two most important factors that cause tooth decay.

  1. Poor oral hygiene
  2. Sweet sticky foods
Early in my practice I concluded that either a lot of parents were not telling me the truth or there was another important factor that was not being emphasized.

After reviewing some research done by Dr.s R. Steinman and J. Leonora in the 1960s, it occurred to me that maybe the missing factor was the frequency of eating and drinking. With this hunch in mind, I began to tell my patients parents to put their children on an eating schedule. This schedule is designed so that the child has 2½ to 3 hours between eating times, when he or she is not allowed any food or drink except pure water.

This is not easy for the parents to do! The children are accustomed to having frequent drinks of juice, milk, soda, snacks, etc. and they like it. Also, food and/or drink seem to be one of the easiest ways to sooth a fussy or upset child. However, when the parents actually follow the new plan, the results are dramatic. The tooth decay literally stops. I am now convinced that this is the MOST important way to prevent early childhood decay.

In my practice I have seen children who are allowed to have decay producing foods (sticky sweets and soda pop) at mealtime only, with no increase of tooth decay. On the other hand I have seen children with good oral hygiene who eat healthy snacks and drinks like fruit, vegetables, milk, unsweetened drinks on a continual basis throughout the day, end up with severe extensive tooth decay. Finally, I have seen children from homes with limited food, who are fed only 2 or 3 times per day and seldom brush their teeth yet have little or no tooth decay.

If you would like to spare your child from the painful and unattractive early childhood tooth decay, I recommend following this simple schedule:

  • Breakfast
    • Feed your child healthy food
    • 3 hours between breakfast & lunch – Only water allowed
  • Lunch
    • Eating & drinking time
    • 3 hours between lunch & dinner – Only water allowed
  • Dinner
    • No eating or drink restrictions
    • 2 1/2 hours between dinner & snack – Only water allowed
  • Bedtime
    • Small healthy snack
    • Only pure water in bottle or sippy cup at night