Dentaltown February 2016 - (Page 50)

pediatric dentistry feature Parents Who Fool Themselves About Sugar in Kids' Diets A frank discussion about parents who avoid the truth behind their children's dental decay Dentaltown.com > Message Boards > Pediatric Dentistry > Parents Who Fool Themselves About Sugar in Kids' Diets psdmd Member Since: 06/20/03 Post: 1 of 59 What do you all do when a parent brings in a child with generalized caries, but very genuinely believes that his or her child has a "great diet" and denies they ever drink soda or juice, or have sugary snacks? I want to be very diplomatic, but obviously there is sugar somewhere. It seems I tell a lot of parents to beware of sugar from sources other than home, like school, sports snacks, grandparents, etc. Anything else to tell them? APR 9 2015 kiddent Member Since: 04/28/05 Post: 2 of 59 I hate to be so apathetic but I just don't even argue with them. I focus on what to do from a hygiene standpoint from here on out. Prevident/ACT, flossing, etc. When people have their mind made up there is no changing it. APR 9 2015 Tooth Whisperer Member Since: 06/11/07 Post: 3 of 59 Related Message Boards Is Sugar a Toxin? Sugar Toxin You Must Hate Sugar Hate Sugar I try a couple times or so to discuss it with them, but if they keep dismissing the comments then I kind of leave it and move on. When parents ask if it is genetic or their kid has soft teeth I tell them even if that were the case, then they need to focus even more on the diet and oral hygiene than your average kid! But if they want to tell me it's because they're with grandma on the weekends I just leave what I said on the table and don't beat them over the head with it. Ultimately, if they feel belittled or made to feel guilty they aren't going to bring their kid for treatment, which doesn't allow us to help them take care of their current symptoms or continue to advocate for better diet and better hygiene. The one thing I really have to bite my tongue on is when they want me to give a talk with their 4-year-old about no more candy! Better take away their wallet and car keys, Mom! APR 9 2015 kiddent Member Since: 04/28/05 Post: 7 of 59 There is a bacterial component to cavities and certain kids are just like adults. They have more of this bacteria and it makes them more prone to getting cavities. It doesn't have to be a lot of sugar in these kids but sugar must be there for the cavities to form. I know this is true because I see families of three all the time where only one child gets the cavities. We know they are eating pretty much the same diet, that one child just has conditions which make cavities more likely to develop. The silver lining in Johnny having eight cavities is that we now know he is at higher risk and much more sensitive to sugars. We will want to bump his prevention up in the form of Prevident/ACT, flossing, sealants, etc., to prevent this in the future. Mommy just wants to hear it's not her fault. She's just afraid of giving up Facebook time to parent. This dialogue lets her blame bad evil bacteria and not her household. APR 9 2015 Flosspik Member Since: 08/12/03 Post: 9 of 59 I think there are many parents that just don't want to admit their children have an unhealthy diet. But there is also a percentage of kids who get cavities and yes, they don't ever drink soda Continued on p. 52 50 FEBRUARY 2016 // dentaltown.com http://www.Dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com/MessageBoard/thread.aspx?a=11&s=2&f=333&t=187899&pg=2&g=1 http://www.dentaltown.com/MessageBoard/thread.aspx?a=11&s=2&f=222&t=182748&g=1 http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown February 2016

On Dentaltown.com
HOWARD SPEAKS: There Ain’t No Silver Bullet in Business
PROFESSIONAL COURTESY: A Magical Meeting Experience
Continuing Education Update
Reverse Prep
An Overview of Sinus Augmentation Procedures
Figuring Out This Marketing Thing
OFFICE VISIT: Doing Dentistry in the Desert
Make Work-Life Balance Work for You
Pulpotomy Materials: An Update
Diligence: How to Successfully Purchase a Dental Practice
Parents Who Fool Themselves About Sugar in Kids’ Diets
Seven Easy Ways to Boost Treatment Compliance
You Should Know: ZendyHealth
Product Profile: DENTSPLY Caulk
Poll
Intraoral Scanning: A Great Resource in Today’s Dentistry
Must Haves for 2016
Product Profile: GC America
Simplifying Everyday Direct Posterior Restorations
Augmentation of Keratinized Gingiva
Industry News
Ad Index
Product Profile: United Business Funding
New Products
Product Profile: TCS
Top Three Strategies to Triple New Patient Numbers
Oral Diseases Associated with Women
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown February 2016