I know you never thought you’d hear a dentist tell you she keeps a full jar of candy in her house that her kids have ready access to at meal-times, but… PIGS ARE FLYING TODAY! 🐷🛩 One of the keys to reducing cavity-risk with this set-up is having designated (albeit flexible) meal and snack times - no grazing. Grazing raises cavity risk and reduces appetites. When we eat, the pH of our mouth lowers (and low pH leads to loss of minerals from our tooth enamel, which can ultimately lead to cavities). So the more often we eat and expose our teeth to acid, the weaker they are. The most important role this jar plays is it makes candy JUST ANOTHER FOOD with zero MORALITY attached to it. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it’s not junk, it’s not unhealthy, it’s not rare, it’s not special, it’s not ‘cheating’ to eat it, and because it will almost always be available in some way or amount, it loses its POWER. If you want a kid who’s less candy-obsessed, try this trick and let me know how it goes. I promise, every time I do this I have a nagging self-doubt for the first 48 hours - even though I’ve done it now with dozens of things between my three kids. But hear me - three days ago my lollipop-obsessed 2-year-old ate about TEN DUMDUMS across the meal and snack times of the day. But this morning she opened one with breakfast and didn’t even lick it, and then forgot about it, and it’s now 2pm and she still hasn’t consumed a single lollipop. IT WORKS.  If my stance on sugar and candy resonates with you (i.e. it’s acid and the teeth's frequency of exposure to it that is the problem, not a need to eradicate all traces of sugar from our children’s diets) then you’ll like my course. It’s full of practical tips to help keep your kids cavity-free, make toothbrushing time enjoyable at best and no longer complete torture at worst, prevent dental trauma, know how to manage teething discomfort, and understand how and why you should see if there’s a pediatric dentist near you to see your little ones for dental care! More info at the thing in the thing. I learn tons from @Dr. Taylor • Kid nutrition #pediatricdentist #cavities #dentaltips #momtips #snacktimetips #candyaddict #snacktip #almondmoms