Getting cavities as a child can be painful and frightening, so it's best to try and keep them from happening at all. If you're already doing all you can to ensure that your child is brushing their teeth well and seeing the dentist on a regular basis, there's still more you can do. Try these three tips to give your child an even lower risk of developing cavities.

Keep Them Hydrated

Hydration plays a big role in oral health. When you have a dry mouth, sticky plaque and bacteria are more likely to proliferate. These can both lead to cavities and gum health problems.

In addition, drinking fluids regularly helps to flush away excess bacteria. As long as the beverage isn't full of sugar, you should be good to go!

Eat More Dairy

It might surprise you to learn that dairy can be beneficial to teeth in more ways than one.

Most people know that it helps to keep teeth strong by being a good source of calcium, which is necessary to keep bones strong; however, dairy doesn't stop there!

One study showed that eating cheese actually helped to protect teeth by changing the overall pH level of the mouth. The higher pH level helped to neutralize acidity, which can cause erosion in teeth. As a result, scientists believe that eating cheese can help to prevent enamel from eroding, which is often the first step before a cavity develops.

Switch to Drink Mixes

Finally, if your child is already drinking beverages with flavoring in them, it's a good idea to consider making them at home.

Obviously, your child shouldn't drink too much sugar as it can hurt them in more ways than one, including their teeth. However, many drink mixes contain no sugar, or they contain artificial sweetener that has no impact on teeth. By making these at home, you can use the water from your tap, which contains fluoride. The more fluoride your child's teeth are exposed to the better, as it will help to keep them strong and protect them against cavities.

In comparison, most pre-made beverages contain water that isn't fluoridated, so your child won't experience any benefit from them.

Keeping a child's teeth healthy can be a challenge even for the very best parents. Thankfully, these three tips can boost your child's dental health so that their future trips to the kids dentist always end with a smile.

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