By Dr Anu Isaac
As a parent, you are always on the lookout for nourishing food for your kids. And one of your primary concerns is often your kids’ healthy teeth. So we are here for all the parents who want to ensure that their kids grow up with healthy and strong teeth.
Food is a significant factor for a child’s overall development. Certain foods are beneficial for the dental health of kids, while some are bad for your teeth. Let’s find out more about the connection between nutrition and the oral health of your kids.
Educate Your Child About Healthy Food
It is better to help kids learn about nutrition rather than merely telling them what to eat and what not to eat. Explain to them that the kind of food they eat directly impacts their dental and overall health.
Try to include food in your kids’ diets with high nutrition and antioxidants. It improves their immunity and provides healthy gums and teeth.
Foods for Good Dental Health of Your Kids
• Fruits & Vegetables
Encourage your kids to eat crunchy fruits and veggies like apple, carrot, and celery. They clean the teeth and stimulate gums with their fiber content. Also, promote veggies and fruits with high water content like melons, cucumber, and pears. They produce saliva, which flushes down remaining food particles and bacteria.
• Green Vegetables
Green vegetables like spinach and kale are great for your kids. They contain lots of calcium, nutrients, vitamins and minerals to strengthen bones. In addition, green leafy veggies are great for your kids’ healthy teeth as they help build up strong tooth enamel.
• Calcium-rich Diet
Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other nutrients essential for building strong enamel and teeth. Include low-fat cheese, yogurt, and milk in your kid’s diet. Along with calcium, the probiotics in yogurt also help in fighting the bacteria.
• Foods Containing Protein
Protein is also required for generating tooth enamel. Encourage your kids to eat protein-rich foods for good dental health. Chicken, turkey, lean meat, peanut butter, and nuts contain protein in abundance. Include these food items in your kids’ diet.
• Cheese
The raised PH level in your kid’s mouth due to cheese prevents it from bacteria and cavities. So include cheese in a varied diet.
Bad Food for Teeth & Gums of Kids
• Chewy & Sticky Food
Sticky food doesn’t get clean quickly and generates bacteria in the mouth. Keep your kids away from raisins, jelly beans, syrups, and other chewy and sticky food items.
• Sugary Food & Beverages
Sugar lingers onto your kid’s teeth and forms cavities. It’s crucial for your kid’s dental health to stay away from sugary food and drinks like candies, sports drinks, colas, etc.
• Carbohydrate & Starch
The snacks for kids in the market are full of carbohydrates and starch, like chips, pasta, burgers, etc. The remaining particles of such food can convert into sugar. Limit consumption of these food items.
• Citrus Fruits
Yes, they contain vitamin C, but they also contain acid, which can cause significant harm to the enamel. So give your child citrus fruits like lemon, orange, tomato, etc., in moderation with other food.
Conclusion
Encourage healthy eating in your kids. And tell them to brush immediately after eating any food which is bad for their teeth. Besides nutritious food, maintaining oral hygiene daily and regular dental check-ups are vital for your kid’s dental health.
Author Bio:
Dr. Anu Isaac, DMD, runs a successful dental practice in Salem, MA. Dr. Isaac strives for quality on a daily basis and this commitment to quality is reflected in her constant pursuit of advanced training. Her firm belief that even experts need to stay updated about what’s new in the dental field, enables her to provide every patient with optimal oral care. As the founder of Coral Dental Care, she is dedicated to creating healthy, beautiful smiles for her patients and also to educating dental and non-dental communities with her engaging articles on all things related to oral health, recent dental innovations, and latest treatment modalities.
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