{"id":112,"date":"2023-09-14T12:26:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T12:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=112"},"modified":"2025-06-13T19:54:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T19:54:30","slug":"top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"child<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you have a child, you have seen them put countless random things in their mouth. Early in life, babies and toddlers learn about the world in part using their mouth, but eventually this tendency subsides. However, even long after this stage comes and goes, kids can continue to put certain objects in their mouth that don\u2019t belong there and could cause a dental emergency<\/a>. In fact, if their pediatric dentist knew, they may wince! What are the things your child shouldn\u2019t put in their mouth? Read on to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Pens or Pencils<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Writing utensils are fine to fidget with hands, but putting them in the mouth, even for a short time, can harm the smile. First of all, pens and pencils tend to have a lot of bacteria on them, introducing potential infection. Secondly, chewing on hard objects puts excessive pressure on your child\u2019s teeth, which could cause cracks or fractures. It\u2019s best to keep pens and pencils out of your child\u2019s mouth and in their hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fingernails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Does your child chew their fingernails as a nervous habit? The dentist would strongly recommend that they stop doing it. Not only can biting nails affect how your child\u2019s hands look, but it can also have a devastating impact on their teeth. Their front teeth are strong enough to bite through food, but they were not designed to cut through nails. As a result, they may wear down faster than they would otherwise. Plus, bacteria from little hands\u2014which have touched who knows what\u2014can enter your child\u2019s mouth\u2014yuck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your child struggles with stress or anxiety, try to find other ways to cope, such as coloring or drawing, yoga, meditation, controlled breathing, and the like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottle Caps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tooth enamel may be the strongest material in the body, but it shouldn\u2019t be used to open soda bottles. Teeth can crack or chip when bottle caps, whether metal or plastic, enter the mouth. If your child is having trouble opening a bottle, offer to help or try other measures that don\u2019t involve their teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone Else\u2019s Toothbrush<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your child forgets their toothbrush at a sleepover or a trip out of town, they may be tempted to share with someone else. However, this option puts both parties\u2019 health at risk as bacteria can spread and cause cavities or gum infections. Before your child leaves for an overnight stay, be sure to pack their own toothbrush to avoid this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jewelry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether your child is simply playing with their jewelry or struggling with a necklace or bracelet latch, jewelry doesn\u2019t belong in the mouth. It could bring in germs that could get them sick or lead to an oral infection. Offer to help them put on their jewelry, and gently remind them to keep it out where it is supposed to be: on their neck, wrist, or fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As your child gets older, they need to keep these things out of their mouth to minimize the risk to their oral and overall health. By developing healthy habits, they can enjoy a strong brilliant smile, which is adorable at any age!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Wash Park Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Patrick Bowman and Dr. Samantha Gardner<\/a> take a preventive approach to treating young patients. As board-certified pediatric dentists, they specialize in working with infants, toddlers, children, and teens on improving their oral health habits. If you have questions about how to help your child care for their smile, you can schedule an appointment at our Denver practice online<\/a> or call us at 720-647-6310.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you have a child, you have seen them put countless random things in their mouth. Early in life, babies and toddlers learn about the world in part using their mouth, but eventually this tendency subsides. However, even long after this stage comes and goes, kids can continue to put certain objects in their mouth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTop 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After toddlerhood, kids can keep putting things in their mouth they shouldn\u2019t. Learn how these things can harm their smile.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"After toddlerhood, kids can keep putting things in their mouth they shouldn\u2019t. Learn how these things can harm their smile.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505.jpg\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"washpark\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/592249e82cda86c333eb8a8a4fdc268a\"},\"headline\":\"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-14T12:26:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T19:54:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":614,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-14T12:26:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T19:54:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/592249e82cda86c333eb8a8a4fdc268a\"},\"description\":\"After toddlerhood, kids can keep putting things in their mouth they shouldn\u2019t. Learn how these things can harm their smile.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/14\\\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wash Park Pediatric Dentistry Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/592249e82cda86c333eb8a8a4fdc268a\",\"name\":\"washpark\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth","description":"After toddlerhood, kids can keep putting things in their mouth they shouldn\u2019t. Learn how these things can harm their smile.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth","twitter_description":"After toddlerhood, kids can keep putting things in their mouth they shouldn\u2019t. Learn how these things can harm their smile.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505.jpg","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/"},"author":{"name":"washpark","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/592249e82cda86c333eb8a8a4fdc268a"},"headline":"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth","datePublished":"2023-09-14T12:26:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T19:54:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/"},"wordCount":614,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505-300x200.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/","url":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/","name":"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2023-09-14T12:26:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T19:54:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/592249e82cda86c333eb8a8a4fdc268a"},"description":"After toddlerhood, kids can keep putting things in their mouth they shouldn\u2019t. Learn how these things can harm their smile.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/AdobeStock_436470648__1697203293_82505.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/14\/top-5-things-that-dont-belong-in-your-childs-mouth\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Top 5 Things That Don\u2019t Belong in Your Child\u2019s Mouth"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/","name":"Wash Park Pediatric Dentistry Blog","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/592249e82cda86c333eb8a8a4fdc268a","name":"washpark"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215,"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washparkpediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}