Your London dentist can help you pick the best sugar substitute. The polyol class of sugar substitutes contain the smallest amount of acidity. These include xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol. Xylitol is a polyol that has the same sweet taste as sugar, but is not fermentable by the bacteria that causes dental caries, S mutans. When xylitol is used in chewing gums or certain foods, it does not have the same cavity causing activity as foods and gum that contain sugar. As a matter of fact, when young adults used 6-7 g of chewing gum that contained xylitol for 1 year, there was an eighty percent lowering of dental caries incidence when compared to the sugar gum chewing group. Therefore, xylitol containing products can gratify the desire for sweets, single out S mutans, and appreciably decrease the occurrence of dental caries. It is also known to have saliva-stimulating properties. If you have any questions about sugar substitutes, visit or call your London dentist to get answers.

• Start brushing your child’s teeth as soon as the first one comes out!
This accustoms your child to brushing and teaches him how valuable the method is to maintain healthy teeth.
• Start using fluoridated toothpaste only after the age of 2 to protect your toddler’s teeth unless your London dentist advises you to start earlier.
• Get an age specific pliable nylon toothbrush for toddlers to learn brushing easily. Parents have to teach their toddlers and preschooler’s to brush twice a day until they are about 5 years old. At the age of 5 children become capable of doing the process by them. Only use about pea-sized amounts of fluoridated tooth paste and make sure your child does not eat any of it. Although you can try flossing please do be careful with over active children.
• Check to see whether your locality has fluoridated drinking water. This is an enormous benefit as fluoridated water contains the right amount of fluoride to toughen teeth and delay cavities. Ask your dentist for fluoride tablets if required.
• Ask your pediatric dentist for help if your child is still sucking his thumb at the age of four or five. Prolonged thumb sucking can cause misaligned teeth or cavities.