Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day are great first steps toward teaching your kids to take care of their teeth and gums. But what you feed your kids also has a major impact on their oral health. Every bite your kids take can help strengthen their teeth if you give them the right foods. Learn more from a Bristol, Connecticut dentist today.

Choosing Nutritious Meals

Minerals and vitamins are essential for maintaining healthy teeth. Although meeting these needs can be supplemented with daily vitamin supplements, getting enough of these nutrients from diet is preferable. 

Between-Meal Snacks

If you can help it, skip the snacks in between meals. At snack time, your saliva production drops, leaving more food and bacteria to fester in your mouth. In turn, this might cause issues with your teeth and gums.

If you need a snack between meals, opt for something that will not harm your teeth if you can not help yourself. Raw veggies, nuts, seeds, dairy products, lean meats, and eggs all make healthy snack choices. Bananas, potatoes, rice, corn, and wheat flour are all examples of fermentable carbs you should avoid.

Chewing sugar-free gum can be a healthy alternative to snacking because it stimulates saliva production, which helps to remove plaque and bacteria from the mouth. 

Beverages

Water is the undisputed champion of drinks. Because of its neutral pH, water effectively removes food particles, germs, and plaque from the mouth. Saliva production also depends on being adequately hydrated.

Milk and green tea are two more drinks that are easy on the teeth. Milk’s Vitamin D and Calcium content make it an excellent choice for maintaining strong teeth and bones. Polyphenols in green tea inhibit the growth of microorganisms, while fluoride helps keep teeth healthy. If it is not loaded down with sugar, cranberry juice is another option worth considering. The anthocyanins found in cranberries can stop bacteria from multiplying.

Avoid anything with sugar, including fruit juices, sodas, and energy drinks. Drinking them might cause damage to your teeth because of their high acidity and sugar content, respectively.

Checkups and a healthy diet go hand in hand.

Checkups and cleanings at the dentist on the regular might help reinforce good eating habits. The foods we eat are an important first step toward good dental hygiene, but they are not the only ones. Talk to your dentist if you have any more concerns about your child’s teeth or the foods and drinks they should consume.