It’s important for parents to teach their children about proper dental hygiene and take them to the dentist for regular check-ups. When children receive regular dental care, pediatric dentists will also discuss good oral hygiene tips with their patients. Even when children do brush, floss, and replace their toothbrushes every few months, they may still experience issues.

The Effects of Sports and Energy Drinks on Tooth Enamel

Since many children may be nervous about going to the dentist, it’s important for parents to set a good example. One of the ways that they can do this is by reducing, or totally eliminating, their own intake of sports and energy drinks. A recent study examined the effects of these and other sports drinks on tooth enamel:

• Powerade®
• Gatorade®

Propel®

These and additional energy drinks were studied for their effect on tooth enamel:

• Rockstar®
• Monster®
• Red Bull®

While sports drinks are known to cause a loss of tooth enamel, energy drinks contribute to this even more. Researchers found that when people consumed energy drinks, this resulted in a 3.1% loss of enamel. Sports drink consumption resulted in a 1.5% loss of enamel.

Bottled Drinking Water and Fluoride Levels

Another area of research involved bottled drinking water and fluoride levels. The Journal of Pediatric Dentistry published this study in 2012. The researchers discovered that over 65% of the parent participants weren’t aware of the fluoride levels in the bottled water they drank or gave their children to drink.

Fluoride is often added to public drinking water in order to reduce cavities. When parents and their children consume bottled water, however, they may not be receiving the recommended levels of fluoride. It’s also possible that some bottled drinking water may have higher levels than necessary.

Advancements in Pediatric Dental Sedation

When children need specific types of dental work, it’s important to note that advancements have been made in pediatric dental sedation. Furthermore, many dentists have received advanced training in order to properly employ and monitor these younger patients. Given these opportunities for advanced training, more dentists are performing pediatric dental sedations. Recent figures indicate that this may be as many as 250,000 sessions a year.

The Importance of Scheduling Regular Pediatric Dental Visits

When children visit the dentist on a regular basis, it makes a positive impact on their overall health. Since tooth decay and other issues can cause discomfort and pain, this can also affect how well they do in school. If you haven’t recently taken your child to the dentist for a regular check-up, it’s important to schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience. Furthermore, if you haven’t been to the dentist for a while, you can set a positive example by scheduling an appointment as well.