Developing teeth are the most fragile, and maintaining good oral health for your children is key to good health as they grow older. Setting strong habits at an early age is important because it helps kids to look after themselves later in life. One of the leading causes of poor oral health in teenagers and young adults is neglect during their childhood years. As well as making sure your kids brush their teeth twice per day, considering adding the following changes to their diet to ensure they’re getting all the nutrients and vitamins they need to maintain health, prosperous teeth and gums.
What are the Best Fruits and Vegetables to Eat?
Include several pieces of fresh, crunchy apple, celery and carrot in your children’s lunch box to provide a tasty snack that scrubs away plaque. These teeth-friendly foods are high in fibre which acts as a natural tooth cleaning agent. Broccoli and green, leafy vegetables are also great additions from this food group to include in your children’s meals. Green vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that helps keep tooth enamel healthy.
What Nutrients and Minerals do I Need?
Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, phosphates and vitamin D, which work in tandem to strengthen and protect teeth and bones from decay and damage. Soft cheeses are especially good at removing acidic build-up in the mouth, so consider including some cheese in your desert repertoire. To make sure your kids’ bodies can handle all the calcium they’ll undoubtedly be consuming after you read this post, complement kids’ dairy intake with some eggs to make sure they get the vitamin D and protein they need to maintain good oral health.
Drinking water with fluoride in it is important from as early as birth. Fluoride helps prevent decay in children’s teeth and helps to repair any weak spots in the teeth by contributing to enamel development. Enamel breaks down when exposed to acidity for too long, and acidity in the mouth is common following the breakdown of sugars. Nuts and seeds similarly replenish the minerals that tooth enamel needs to sustain itself.
What Snacks do I Avoid to Keep my Teeth Healthy?
On that note, to reduce the risk of tooth decay and enamel breakdown in your children’s teeth, stay away from sugary drinks as much as possible. Carbonated soft drinks and juice contain acids and sugars which combine to cause significant tooth and gum damage over time. The same applies to lollies which, when broken down, stick to children’s teeth and dissolve tooth enamel. Citrus fruits aren’t particularly helpful in this respect, either. Their acidity can erode tooth enamel over time. Sugar is yet another danger to consider. Sugar isn’t always present in food at the start of a meal. Breads, chips and pasta contain starch which converts to simple sugars in the body after it’s ingested. If left in the mouth, these starch-turned sugars can lead to tooth decay, so moderate all starch intake for good oral health.