In order to make sure the food your child eats is good for their teeth, make sure they have a balanced diet! Include fruits and vegetables, breads and cereals, milk and dairy products, and meat, fish and eggs. In addition, you want to limit the servings of sugars and starches that your child eats to protect their teeth from cavities. We are never saying "no sugar" or "no candy" ever! The most important thing is everything in moderation - it has to be balanced!
Let's talk about the foods that are the BEST for your child's teeth:
- Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables
- Foods with fiber help keep your teeth and gums clean!
- They also get your saliva flowing - increasing amount of saliva in your mouth helps to reduce the effect of any acid that can attack teeth and start cavities. Saliva also helps to restore the essential minerals to teeth.
- Cheese, milk, plain yogurt
- The calcium in dairy products help to put minerals back in your teeth where they have been lost and helps to rebuild tooth enamel, the protective layer of your teeth!
Now what about the foods that can be bad for your child's teeth:
- Sticky candies and sweets
- The bacteria that live in our mouths love sugar! They use this sugar to produce an acid that breaks down your teeth, causing cavities!
- Sticky candies love those deep grooves in your teeth and they stick there really well if you don't brush! The longer the candy stays on the tooth, the higher chance of getting a cavity!
- If you were to choose a sweet to eat, chocolate would be the best! It melts in your mouth and doesn't stay there like the sticky candies do!
- Starchy foods such as cookies and crackers
- These soft foods become sticky after they are chewed and stick to your teeth just as how sticky sweets would!
- Carbonated soft drinks
- Not only do these drinks contain a lot of sugar, it is also very acidic that can contribute to wearing away at your tooth enamel, the protective layer of your teeth!
Here's our recommendations (based on recommendations from the American Dental Association):
- Have your child eat sugary foods with meals, reducing the amount of time the sugar stays in your child's mouth! During meals, more saliva is produced, washing away pieces of food that can stay in the mouth.
- Limit between-meal snacks. As mentioned before, we don't want foods to be stuck in our teeth for a long time! If your child wants a snack, give them something nutritious, like fruit or veggies.
- Drink more water! Replace soda and juices with plain water.
- Always remember to help your child brush and floss 2x/day!
Remember - there's no right or wrong thing to eat, it's all about moderation. Make sure to eat balanced meals!
