October 23, 2024, 6:25 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Eating as well as possible and always brushing your teeth well are the two main factors that Dr. Anne Heinz cites for optimal children’s dental health. Read on to find out how important sugar is for her in particular.
When it comes to children’s dental health, cigarettes are probably not the first thing that springs to mind. But this is exactly what pediatric dentist Dr. Anne Heinz brought up in an interview with FITBOOK. She compares smoking with sugar consumption to emphasize how bad sugar is for children – especially for their teeth and the development of tooth decay. She also explains why she doesn’t blame parents if their children are allowed to snack and how the daily battle to brush their teeth can become a feel-good routine for children and parents.
Overview
Diet is the main factor in the development of tooth decay
FITBOOK: Genes or diet – what has a greater influence on whether children get tooth decay?
Dr. Anne Heinz: “I know that a lot of parents would like me to say that the main reason for tooth decay in children is genetics. But we know that this is not the case. Genetics also plays a role, but not the biggest one. Nutrition plays the biggest role, and oral hygiene routine plays the second biggest role. How well we brush our teeth and what we let into our mouths. And if the latter is mostly sugary, then the risk of getting cavities increases immensely.”
Sugar is just as bad as cigarettes
How much sugar is okay for children?
“What I’m about to say may sound totally radical. But I would rate sugar in a similar way to cigarettes. In other words, I wouldn’t want to allow my child just one cigarette a day, and, accordingly, I wouldn’t want to allow just one cookie. But sometimes you can’t prevent it, and I don’t want to blame the parents who say they’ll have a cake with the grandparents or for their birthday. But what I would really like to warn against is making sugary foods into staple foods, e.g., Corn Flakes or Nutella on toast in the morning. That’s not something you’re doing your children any good with, quite the opposite.”
Children are often given sweets. How do parents deal with this properly?
“It’s really incredibly difficult, which is why I don’t want to blame parents at all. It starts in the supermarket with the fact that the unicorn figure isn’t stuck on the apple but on the cornflakes packet. There’s a child’s birthday in daycare every day, and the grandparents might have chocolate more often. That’s why you should stick to your oral hygiene routine as much as possible.”
“Immediately after you’ve ‘sinned,’ you can make up for it by brushing your teeth”
Should children brush their teeth immediately after snacking?
“I have a sweet tooth myself and sometimes eat a whole packet of Toffifee. But I really do brush my teeth for two and a half minutes afterward and go through all the spaces between my teeth with dental floss every day. So, immediately after you’ve ‘sinned,’ you can make up for it by brushing your teeth. There is only one exception, and this has less to do with children’s dental care and more to do with adults: you should wait at least half an hour, preferably an hour, after consuming acidic foods or drinks such as Red Bull or freshly squeezed orange juice before brushing; otherwise, you run the risk of damaging your enamel.”
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This tip turns the daily tooth-brushing struggle into a feel-good ritual
How do you establish a good dental care routine for children?
“I know that oral hygiene at home with children can sometimes be very challenging and that many children don’t enjoy it. This is especially the case at the beginning when you start to establish dental hygiene. Here, I would like to give you a tip. I think it makes a lot of sense not to try to fight with the child but to try to establish tooth brushing as a cozy wellness ritual. You can do this – not with every child, but perhaps with most – by not brushing for two minutes at a time, but only for a few seconds, and then cuddling and praising the child. Then, brush for another three seconds and give a hug. If you give the child lots of love and recognition for doing such a great job, you can make dental care a great part of the day.”