Healthy Teeth Need Healthy Snacks: 4 Snacks That Might Harm Your Kids Teeth
Posted on: 19 May 2015
If your little one is a finicky eater, you probably try to supplement their meals by providing additional snacks throughout the day. Unfortunately, some of those healthy snacks might not be so healthy for their teeth. Before you head to the grocery store for snacks. Take a look at some foods that might be harming your child's teeth.
Beware of Starchy Snacks
Take a look in your cabinets. If you have starchy snacks like fishy crackers or saltine crackers, you might be harming your kid's teeth without knowing it. Starchy foods begin breaking down into sugar as soon as they're consumed.
That means that when your child is snacking on a handful of crackers, their mouth thinks it's being fed sugar and reacts accordingly. The result is cavities and tooth decay.
Dried Is Not The Same As Fresh
Fresh apples, peaches and apricots are healthy snacks. However, once they're dried, they become as sugary as candy. The act of dehydrating a piece of fruit results in the sugar concentration increasing.
Not only that but, dried fruit pieces are stickier and chewier than their fresh counterparts. Dried fruit can get stuck between your kid's teeth and start eating away at the soft enamel.
Limit the Oranges
When it comes to your kid's teeth, not all fresh fruit is created equal. The citrus acid in oranges can actually eat away at your child's teeth. Instead of giving oranges as a snack, include oranges as part of a meal. This will allow the citric acid to get washed away with the rest of the food.
If you do provide oranges as a snack, be sure to have your child rinse their mouth with clear water as soon as their done.
Vitamin Water Isn't Always Healthy
You might think that vitamin waters are a good way to provide your child with necessary nutrients. Unfortunately, that isn't always true. In fact, some vitamin waters contain as much sugar as soda. Instead of giving your child vitamin water, provide them with plain water.
If your child doesn't like the taste of plain water, try adding a few fresh berries to their water. This will give their water a fresh fruity flavor without the added sugar that vitamin waters and sodas have.
You want the best for your child. When you're planning healthy snacks for your child, be sure to consider their teeth. This list will help you avoid snacks and beverages that might harm your child's teeth. For other tips for keeping your child's teeth healthy, be sure to talk to a pediatric dentist, such as Kids First Pediatric Dentistry.
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