3 Oral Health Tips for the Summer

Oral Health

Summer is an exciting time for kids, but it can be a killer for their oral health routines. Between vacation fun and summer camps, it can be hard to maintain healthy habits, but it’s important for children and adults to maintain the healthy schedules they’ve developed throughout the year so that the kids aren’t going back to school with a bunch of cavities in addition to their new school supplies.

Stay Hydrated

As the temperatures rise throughout the long summer days, staying hydrated becomes an absolute necessity. Hydration will keep your body temperature down, prevent headaches, and keep you bright and alert; however, the liquids you use to stay hydrated will make a difference. We’re not going to tell you to not drink carbonated beverages, but we are going to caution you about too many of them because they are filled with acids and sugars that will eat away at your tooth enamel. Water is always the optimal choice: your body needs it, it will help wash away the sugars of afternoon snacks, promote saliva production to continue that process, and won’t contribute to acid attacks on your teeth. Iced tea is also a good choice of beverage, as tea contains natural compounds called tannins that protect your teeth from acid. Again though, drink with caution if you have to have sweet tea. Tannins will only do so much for your teeth when you’re covering them in sugar.

Prevent Injuries

One of the great things about summer is the considerable amount of outdoor activities. Swimming, hiking, camping, and a multitude of sports are available for children to partake in all day, but play time sometimes leads to unfortunate injuries and an emergency trip to the dentist. According to the American Dental Association, summer is the season for pediatric oral injuries, and a large percentage of them occur around the pool. The afternoons can become rather sweltering, so don’t take this as a warning against cooling off at the pool, it’s just a reminder that running on wet pool decks can be dangerous and you should only dive into clearly designated sections of the pool area. If your child is taking part in contact sports over the summer, talk to your dentist about getting them a mouth guard. Meanwhile, if you’re going on vacation it’s a good idea to add a few items to your basic first aid kit like gauze, a handkerchief, and your dentist’s contact information.

Visit Your Dentist Early

With all of their free time, summer is a good time to get the kids in to see the dentist. Experts suggest that if you plan on taking advantage of your child’s open schedule, you should do so as early on in the summer as possible, because everyone else will have the same idea the closer to the school year it gets. Some schools now require dental check-ups, and the last thing you want is to find that your dentist is completely booked at the last minute. Book your appointments for June when you won’t be fighting the rush, you can catch any issues that will require multiple visits early, and you can check this task off your list and move onto the fun of summer.

Summer is a season of fun and opportunities, and it would be a shame to mar it with dental problems, so call C&C Dentistry now to set up your appointments. We’re here to make sure that you can enjoy your time away from school without any worry of your oral health.

Share:
Leave comment

12918 Shops Pkwy, Suite 450

Bee Cave, Texas 78738

512.263.8900

Call Us Today!

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri: 7:30am - 6:00pm