Teeth-Friendly Diets for Children

The things that your child eats and drinks will affect the health of their teeth. With sugars, starches, and acids, bacteria can thrive and cause tooth damage and decay. To help protect your child’s teeth, Dr. White and Dr. Lance offer counseling for teeth-friendly diets for children in Heber City, Utah; they will help you know which foods are okay for oral health and which to avoid. Contact Deer Creek Children's Dentistry today at 435-315-3080 to set up your appointment with our pediatric dentists!

Because everything you eat or drink affects your oral health, our pediatric dentists and team are happy to provide tips for teeth-friendly diets for children. We want to help ensure that your child’s smile stays healthy for life! We recommend that you following these tips for your child’s diet:

• For snacks, give your child fruits and vegetables instead of carbohydrates or sticky foods. The best choices are fruits and veggies with high water volume, such as celery, pears, cucumbers, and melons. When your child eats sticky or sugary foods, like granola bars, raisins, or bananas, be sure to brush their teeth right after eating.
• If you feed your child treats, offer them during mealtimes instead of as a snack. During meals, the saliva flow increases, which helps wash away food particles and sugar that would otherwise stick around for bacteria to feed on.
• Encourage your child to eat as few snacks throughout the day as possible. Eating 1 or 2 snacks is okay, but frequent eating prevents saliva from washing away leftover food between meals. This provides bacteria with a constant fuel source, which can lead to plaque buildup and tooth decay (cavities). When possible, brush your child’s teeth after he or she eats a snack.
• Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle of milk, juice, soda, or formula. These drinks have high sugar contents, and if your child leaves the bottle in their mouth as they sleep, it can lead to a condition known as baby bottle tooth decay.
• Instead of giving your child sugary drinks, offer them water. Drinks like juice, chocolate or regular milk, and soda are okay in moderation, but water helps to wash away sugars that would otherwise stick to your child’s teeth.

In addition to following these tips for a teeth-friendly diet, be certain to have your child brush and floss their teeth, rinse with mouth wash, and bring them to the dentist on a regular basis. To learn more about how you can help your child’s smile stay healthy, please feel free to contact us today.