Children need the right amount of food from all major food groups to stay healthy and grow properly. The same thing goes with their oral health; children need a well-balanced diet to maintain strong and healthy teeth too.
Most often children love to eat carbohydrates, starches and sugar, which can all lead to tooth decay. Therefore, as a parent, it is important to teach your children about healthy food selections to prevent tooth decay and dental cavities.
Here are some diet tips to maintain your children’s oral health:
Serve water instead of fruit juices: Water is good for oral health. It helps wash away food debris and cleanses the mouth, while fruit juices contain sugar that is not good for your child’s teeth and gums.
Limit snacking between meals: Sugar and starches found in many snacks like cookies, pretzels, chips, chocolate, cakes and dried fruits could create plaque acids, which can cause tooth decay and cavities. Therefore, it is best to limit snacking between meals.
Plenty of vitamins and mineral Intake: Your child needs plenty of phosphorus, fluoride, calcium, zinc, vitamin A, C and D and folic acid to have healthy teeth and gums.
Focus on having sugar-free food for snacks: Sugar reacts with bacteria in your mouth and causes increased acid production, which wears away tooth enamel that leads to tooth decay. Limit food with added sugar and focus on giving your children unsweetened food and snacks.
Having proper nutrition among children is as important as following proper oral hygiene routine to maintain oral health. To learn more about nutrition and oral health for children, contact our office at Kids Dental in Stouffville, Richmond, and Markham.
-The Kids Dental Group Team