Good dental care for children goes beyond brushing and flossing. It also demands a balanced diet that is rich in nutritional value, which helps in keeping the teeth healthy and maintaining a healthy smile. Proper oral hygiene begins right from an early age. That is why it is important for you to encourage your kids to eat healthy snacks to keep their teeth healthy and strong.
Here are a few healthy snack ideas for your children that will help in keeping their teeth healthy.
Eat more of fresh fruits than dried fruits
You should know that a healthy diet isn’t always essentially a dentally healthy diet. When we talk about dried fruits such as raisins, they are nutritionally valuable, but when you look at it from a dental health perspective, it is not completely helpful for your teeth. The reason behind this is that the drying process in it gathers the natural fruit sugars, like fructose (a simple sugar found specifically in honey and fruits), which leaves a sticky product sticks to the teeth, increasing the chances of the length of the sugar attack. Even fresh fruits contain these natural fruit sugar, but due to the water present in them, they are much less damaging to your teeth. So, you can go for fresh fruits like grapes, apples, instead of raisins in between your meals.
Smoothies along with meals
Smoothies are another healthy snack, but the processing of fruit to make a smoothie makes the natural sugars readily available to the bacteria in our mouth, which can lead to dental decay. What you can do is ensure that a smoothie is given to your child with other foods as when it is consumed with a substantial snack or a meal it reduces its potential to harm their teeth.
Minimize sugar content
There are many types of sugar, one we discussed above, fructose, others like glucose, sucrose, and maltose, just to name a few. You should avoid sugary treats such as candy, soda, and pastries as they have high sugar content. High-sugar foods should be limited in consumption and even starchy foods because they are high in carbohydrates, which quickly breaks down into sugar. There are other plenty of nourishing and nutritious snacks available instead of the sugary ones. We should make wiser food choices as a part of our children’s daily oral care.
Your children’s dental health is incredibly important. You can make an appointment at Expressions Dental™ Clinic in Calgary and get in touch with our dental professionals who can guide you with dietary suggestions. You can make an appointment by calling at +1 (403) 252 7733.