You take great pride in making smart choices for your children to grow up with strong and healthy teeth. You teach the importance of oral hygiene and take them to the dentist regularly. However, you may be overlooking one vital area—the foods and drinks they consume. We have all heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” Well, the saying is true when it comes to your child’s teeth. The snacks your children eat could either hurt or help their oral development. As your pediatric dentist in Amherst, we are here to help you protect your children’s teeth with healthy snacks.
How Does Diet Impact Oral Health?
The foods and drinks your child consumes directly impacts their dental health. Proper nutrition is vital for ensuring the teeth develop correctly. Not to mention, a diet full of vitamins and nutrients will help ward off damage to the teeth and gums.
The largest dental problem we treat in children is tooth decay. Tooth decay is caused from an acid that forms when sugars and starches combine with plaque. The acid sits on the teeth and eats away at enamel to form a cavity. Children who consume large amounts of sugar and starches are more prone to tooth decay.
In addition, a diet that lacks proper nutrients also hurts your child’s ability to heal and fight infections. As a result, your child will become more likely to develop gum disease. Although many tend to believe gum disease only occurs in adults, children can get the infection as well.
What are Healthy Snack Choices?
You want to limit your child’s consumption of sugars and starches as much as possible. Teach them to choose healthy alternatives to soda, cookies, candy, and chips. In addition, limit how much chewy and sticky foods they eat, like fruit snacks and candy apples. These sticky foods get stuck in the crevasses of the teeth and are difficult to remove, making the development of cavities likely.
When choosing snacks for your children, you cannot go wrong with fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Your child will get the nutrients they need for a healthy body and mouth. Plus, fruits and vegetables help to naturally cleanse the mouth by increasing saliva production.
Grains are also great for oral health. Bread, plain bagels, and even unsweetened cereal are great snacks. If you need snacks to toss in their lunchboxes, choose unbuttered popcorn, plain crackers, or low-salt pretzels.
Dairy products, like low fat or non-fat yogurt, cheese, and milk, will help to build and maintain strong teeth. Meats, nuts, and seeds, such as chicken or sunflower seeds, are perfect sources for protein while also providing a filling snack.
Protect Your Child’s Oral Health
As a pediatric dentist in Northampton, we encourage you to teach your children healthy oral and dietary habits as early as possible. You will set the right foundation for a lifetime commitment to oral and overall health. We will help you keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment.