The Best and Worst Foods for Your Child's Teeth

We all teach our kids to brush their teeth and floss, but we also need to teach them what foods are good and bad for their teeth. Read on to find out what those are!

Having kids means having their best interests at heart. This includes all aspects of their life, but one of the most important facets to focus on is their health — and in particular, their oral health.

We teach them to brush twice a day, floss once a day, and go see the dentist a couple of times a year. But there’s another huge factor that affects their oral health: what they eat.

As adults, we have a pretty good idea of what’s healthy and unhealthy to eat. Kids need to be taught the best and worst foods for their teeth.

Here at Reality Bites Dental, we see the effects of both good and bad diets on kids’ teeth. Here’s a list that gives you a good place to start.

Best foods for kids’ teeth

Some of the best foods for your child’s teeth are also the best foods for their overall health because they include many important vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Here are a few:

Nuts and seeds

These are high in calcium and phosphorus, which help strengthen the enamel on your teeth.

Green, leafy vegetables

Foods like spinach, kale, and broccoli have lots of healthy nutrients, including folic acid, which is good for your teeth and gums.

Crunchy fruits and veggies

Fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots are great because they help scrub away bacteria that’s stuck on your teeth before it turns to plaque that can damage your teeth.

Dairy

Foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese contain calcium, phosphorus, and casein, which are important for building strong teeth and neutralizing the acid produced by bacteria.

Eggs

Eggs are full of protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which help keep your teeth strong and healthy.

Worst foods for kids’ teeth

This list is topped by sugar. Sugar that gets stuck on your teeth is converted by bacteria into acid that eats away at your enamel and causes decay. Foods that are notorious for this include:

Candy

Candy, especially if it’s chewy or sticky, is terrible for your oral health because it leaves sugar in all the cracks and crevices of your teeth. Sour candy is especially bad because it’s also acidic, so it attacks your enamel.

Sugary drinks

These are a double hit as well — they’re very acidic and full of sugar. This includes soda, sports drinks, and fruit juices. Encourage your kids to drink plenty of water rather than sugary drinks.

Dried fruit

Dried fruit is better than candy because it has some nutrients, but it’s still sticky and chewy and leaves sugar on your teeth.

Chips, bread, and pasta

These foods made from simple starches break down into sugars when they’re exposed to the bacteria in your mouth, which is bad for your teeth. They also have limited nutritional value.

Ice

Ice is so hard that when kids chew on it, they can damage the enamel on their teeth. It can also cause chipped or broken teeth. Try to keep your kids from developing the habit of chewing ice.

If you need a dental home for your kids, we welcome them with open arms at Reality Bites Dental. Our caring, experienced team would love to get to know them. To schedule an appointment, just call our San Antonio office at 210-399-5951 or use our online scheduler anytime!