Things I would NEVER let my kids do

As a dentist and a dad, these are the things I would NEVER let my kids do, simply because the risk is too high.

Some of these lessons came from nearly 40 years of private practice. Others came from my own family.

My daughter chipped her front tooth when a dog jumped on her. 

My wife injured her teeth falling off a tricycle as a child. 

I’ll explain the dental ramifications of those things below…and what you can do to protect your own families.

Being a dentist doesn’t make your family immune to dental injuries. But it does change what you teach your kids to watch for…

Here’s my list of things I would never let my kids do:

1) Ride without protecting their teeth

Parents think about mouthguards for football. I want them thinking about bikes, skateboards, and scooters, too. A fall can send your child’s front teeth into the pavement. A helmet matters, of course, but it doesn’t cover their mouth!

Ask your dentist about a mouthguard for activities where a fall or collision could injure their teeth. The fit matters here. Your child needs to be able to breathe and keep it in place without clenching.

The research backs up the protection: a 2019 meta-analysis found that across 12 cohort studies of sports and exercise, people without mouthguards had about 2.3 times the risk of injuries to the mouth and face. PMID: 31148073.

2) Approach a dog suddenly or without supervision

My daughter’s chipped front tooth came from a dog jumping on her. She didn’t even get bitten, but the damage is something she’ll have to deal with the rest of her life.

Teach your kids to ask before petting, avoid approaching from behind, and leave dogs alone when they’re eating or sleeping. 

That goes for dogs they know well, too. Supervise children around dogs, including the family dog! 

Bites are another reason I take this seriously. In a hospital study of 537 children treated for facial dog bites, 68% were five or younger, and almost 90% knew the dog. Familiarity didn’t prevent injury. This study examined bites, rather than collisions like my daughter’s, but it shows why the family dog belongs in this conversation. PMID: 24436765.

3) Rest a glass against their teeth

At a party, someone bumps your elbow while you’re drinking. The glass hits your front tooth. I’ve treated that injury countless times. 

My advice is to keep the rim away from your teeth. 

Teach your kids the same thing with bottles and especially the school drinking fountain—always give space to the person drinking. 

No pushing, shoving, or playing behind them, otherwise you get a domino effect where the kid at the front chips their tooth on the water fountain from the bumps coming from behind.

4) Use their teeth to open things

If your child can’t open something, teach them to bring it to you. Model that yourself.

Enamel has microscopic structures that can become starting points for fractures. Researchers bending slices of extracted human teeth watched cracks grow from those internal structures. A tooth doesn’t need a visible chip for a fracture to begin beneath the surface. That’s part of my reasoning for avoiding forces from prying things open. PMID: 19878909.

5) Sleep with their mouth open night after night

A child who does it night after night needs an evaluation, especially if they also snore, gasp, or struggle with sleep. Start with a myofunctional therapist or airway dentist. They may need an ENT to investigate what’s interfering with breathing.

A meta-analysis of 10 studies found that mouth-breathing children had differences in jaw position, including more downward and backward jaw rotation, and smaller airway measurements compared with nasal-breathing children. PMID: 33691678.

Smaller airway measurements = worse sleep, for life. 

6) Graze on Goldfish, saltines, or other crackers

Crackers break down into starch that can cling to chewing surfaces. Mouth bacteria can use those carbohydrates to produce acids that damage enamel. My concern is the bag your child keeps reaching into throughout the afternoon. Each round of eating gives bacteria more fuel and teeth less recovery time.

I’d choose cheese, vegetables, or fruit instead. If crackers are on the menu, serve them at a meal or snack time rather than letting the bag last all day.

Researchers measured this acid response in a study of 10 volunteers eating snacks that included sweetened crackers. Plaque acidity remained elevated into the second half-hour after eating. When saliva flow was reduced, the pH dropped further and carbohydrates stayed in the mouth longer. It wasn’t a Goldfish trial, but it demonstrates why starch retention and saliva matter. PMID: 8304015.

7) Drink fluoridated water without my considering their total exposure

My preference for my family is water filtered to reduce fluoride. A 2025 JAMA Pediatrics meta-analysis found an association between fluoride exposure and lower IQ scores in children.

Dr. Mark Burhenne

P.S. For those asking about my personal oral care routine, here it is below…

Oral Care

• Fygg toothpaste (which I helped formulate)
• Oil pulling blend (instead of mouthwash)
• Silk floss
• Tongue scraper (I prefer stainless steel)
• Throat spray

Supplements

• Magnesium: Gum and bone support
• Zinc: Gum tissue repair
• D3 + K2: Calcium absorption + regulation
• CoQ10: Gum support

Drinks

• Green tea: Helps reduce cavity-causing acids
• Electrolytes: Supports saliva’s ability to remineralize