Are Your Healthy Food Choices Causing Your Kid's Teeth To Rot

Dentist Blog

Queensland is known for many things, including stunning beaches and fun theme parks. Unfortunately, it has also just been revealed as one of the top states in Australia when it comes to childhood tooth decay. From regular dental visits to home hygiene practices, there are many different ways a parent can make a difference in the dental health of their children. It is time to get back to basics when it comes to halting the tide of dental rot, and the first place to begin is a child's diet. 

Hidden Sugars

While you may think the snacks you are providing for your kids are on the healthy side of the coin, there is plenty of hidden sugar in there that would make a nutritionist blush. Consider these following examples:

• Giving a smoothie to drink instead of a soft drink may seem the healthier alternative, but smoothies are detrimental to teeth in two ways. Not only do many fruits contain natural sugar, so does the whole milk, yogurt and other thickeners you used to make it. Additionally, as a smoothie is sipped over a period of time, the acid within the fruit has longer to attack the dental enamel.
• Popcorn is definitely a better choice than biscuits and chips, but only if it is air-popped and not drenched in butter. Again, there is plenty of sugar hiding within the fake butter, and make sure you remove all the unpopped kernels from the bowl. They can crack the soft enamel of teeth when inadvertently crunched on.

Water drinks and raw vegetables like celery sticks and carrots are much better snacking alternatives.

Dental Diet Boosters

As well as reducing or eliminating some foods from your child's diet, there are other foods you can introduce or increase their consumption of in an effort to keep their teeth healthy. 

Cheese, for example, can benefit your children's teeth in a number of ways. Cheese increases the natural saliva in the mouth, and this extra saliva can wash away the bacteria that turn into plaque. Cheese is filled with calcium, and this calcium reduces the strong acidity which is found in plaque. This acidity reduction means the plaque will do a lot less damage.

While not a food choice, drinking beverages through a straw can also reduce the amount of sugar the teeth come into contact with. By delivering the soft drink straight to the throat, straws should be used on the occasions you allow your kids to have a sweet drink treat.

The prevention of dental rot in kids begins in the home, and a few little changes could prevent your kids from joining Queensland's dental statistics. Your dentist can give further advice on this subject if you have any specific questions you need answering about how your child's diet could be hurting their teeth.

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15 March 2016