A STRAW? HOW ON EARTH can a straw help protect my smile?! Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. Read on…
Straws Can Help Minimize Exposure
Beverages like iced coffee, sports drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, and colas contribute to tooth staining, decay and erosion. Encouraging your child to sip certain things through a straw could help protect them from these problems.
Staining
Strongly pigmented beverages—such as berry smoothies and coffee—can stain teeth. A straw can help.
Decay
Your soft drink consumption habits may be apparent by simply looking in your mouth. For some, it’s the back molars that see a lot of decay due to swishing and letting soda pool in their mouths before swallowing. For those who sip on soda throughout the day, decay may be more evident in their front teeth. Straws can help, especially when positioned correctly in your mouth.
Sensitivity
Reducing opportunities for sugar and acid to attack your enamel helps protect it against sensitivity caused by erosion and decay. Straws can also help reduce those jabs of sensitivity caused by cold or hot drinks.
Is Your Straw Positioned Correctly?
Get into the habit of positioning straws at the back of your mouth so that drinks have minimal exposure to teeth. You can further reduce harmful effects by:
- NOT swishing beverages around in your mouth.
- NOT continuously sipping on harmful drinks throughout the day.
- Following your drinks up with water, sugarless gum, or celery.
Don’t Rely On Straws To Do All The Work
Even fun straws can’t do all the heavy lifting for you… Encourage your child to practice good eating habits and brush his or her teeth morning and night, and don’t forget the floss! Keep your regularly scheduled appointments, and if you have questions about staining, decay, or sensitivity give us a call! You can message us on our Facebook page too!