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No?

Then why are you drinking them?!?

Beware of the excessive amount sugars in soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks. They can wreck havoc on your body and your teeth!

So that makes it a great time to take a moment to think about how you can be eating healthier! Remember, many of the foods and drinks that are considered unhealthy for your body are also unhealthy for your teeth! ChooseMyPlate has come great information on how you can can be more mindful of what, when, and how you eat.

Here are 10 Tips for a Great Plate as recommended by ChooseMyPlate:

1. Balance calories.

2. Enjoy your food, buy eat less.

3. Avoid over-sized portions.

4. Eat these foods more often: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or 1% milk and dairy products.

5. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

6. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

7. Make half your grains whole grains.

8. Eat these foods less often: cakes, cookies, ice cream, sweetened drinks, fatty meats.

9. Compare sodium in foods. Choose reduced sodium, low sodium, or no salt added products.

10. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

For more information  on these tips, check out our facebook page or the ChooseMyPlate website, where you can also find many more helpful tips on eating healthier!

As your dentists, we know that your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body -- what you put into your mouth affects your overall well being as well as your teeth!

A recent article in the Journal of the American Dental Association highlights the updated recommendations regarding the use of fluoridated toothpaste in children. The previous recommendations indicated that children age 2 and younger use non-fluoridated toothpaste, also known as training toothpaste, while children ages 2-6 use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste that contains fluoride.

The new recommendation advises that all children use fluoridated toothpaste, starting at the appearance of their first tooth. In order to prevent excess ingestion of fluoride, children under 3 years old should only use a smear of toothpaste, the equivalent of the size of a grain of rice, when brushing their teeth in the morning and evening. Children ages 3 to 6 years old should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste when brushing their teeth in the morning and evening. These recommended amounts ensure that children are getting exposure to fluoride and that those children who may be too young to spit out their toothpaste are not ingesting too much fluoride.

Here's a great example of what a "smear" or "rice grain" amount looks like (see toothbrush on left) as compared to a "pea-sized" amount (see toothbrush on right). As you can see, the "smear" is a very small application of toothpaste. It should also be noted that these toothbrushes are children's sized and smaller than a standard toothbrush.

Have you begun brushing your child's teeth with toothpaste yet? Well, it's time to start! Feel free to contact Jacques Dentistry at 864-242-4848 or online to set up a dental visit for your child so that we can show both you and child proper brushing tips and techniques.

Did you know... You can tell how old a dolphin is by the layers in its teeth?!? If dolphins examined our teeth the same way, then they would think that everyone is the same age! Human teeth have three layers: enamel, dentin, and pulp. Cementum covers the part of the tooth below the gums instead of enamel, so that would really confuse those dolphins! :)