The Best and Worst Foods for a Child's Teeth

If you have small kids that are just starting to eat table food, you may want to start them out eating healthy foods from the start. Not only is this good for their overall health, but eating healthy foods is also good for their teeth. Here are some of the best and worst foods for a child's teeth. Being selective with what you offer your kids could make a world of difference when it comes to their oral health.

The best foods for a child's teeth

The foods you give your child can either help or harm their teeth, and this is why you should aim to give them the best types of foods you can for their teeth. Not only is this important for tooth health, but it is also important for a child's overall health too. Some of the best foods you can give a child are vegetables and fruits, and these should be fresh, not canned. Fresh vegetables, such as carrots, pea pods, and broccoli, are full of minerals and vitamins that support good oral care. Fruits, such as apples and bananas, also contain a lot of important vitamins. Additionally, crunchy fruits and vegetables may actually help clean off plaque from a child's teeth as he or she eats them.

The second category of foods that are great for a child's teeth is dairy foods. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are all good examples of dairy products that your kids may enjoy eating. These products contain high levels of calcium, which is vital for tooth health, and they also cause the production of saliva. Saliva is a cleansing ingredient naturally found in the mouth, and eating foods that increase saliva production helps teeth stay healthier.

The worst foods for a child's teeth

There are a lot of bad foods that can harm a child's teeth, but the worst types of foods to give kids are sticky foods. Fruit snacks are a perfect example of a sticky snack that will harm a child's teeth. Foods that are sticky tend to stick inside the grooves of teeth, and this causes the sugars to remain in a child's mouth for a long time. This can end up leading to cavities on the child's teeth. Fruit juice is another bad thing to give kids as it normally contains a lot of sugar that gets trapped between the teeth.

If you have questions about your child's teeth or oral health, contact a pediatric dental clinic or pop over to this website to schedule a visit with a dentist at a time convenient for you.