Alongside brushing your child’s teeth and visiting the dentist regularly, eating healthily will help keep their smile healthy. Many young children eat lots of snacks throughout the day to keep their energy levels up. However, eating too many snacks can cause the teeth to be attacked by acids. Eating nutrient-rich snacks will help strengthen the enamel, stimulate saliva and destroy harmful bacteria.

1. Effects of Snacking

  • Any snacks your child eats will affect their teeth. They contain carbohydrates and sugars which will feed the natural bacteria on the teeth and cause acids to form. This will then attack the enamel and remove precious minerals.

  • Too many Snacks – If your child eats too many snacks with high amounts of sugar and starch this will cause their mouth to be acidic.

  • Healthy Snacks – Eating healthy snacks will stimulate their natural saliva. This will help wash away any leftover food and provide calcium for their enamel.

  • Healthy Minerals – Children need lots of healthy minerals to help strengthen their baby and adult teeth.

2. Dairy Snacks

The best option to help strengthen the teeth is dairy products. They have lots of minerals and little harsh sugars.

Hard Cheese Cubes

– This will stimulate lots of saliva. They also provide calcium and phosphate for the teeth to help neutralize any acids.

Plain Yogurt

– Plain yogurts provide lots of natural proteins, calcium and healthy probiotics. This will help strengthen the roots of their teeth and destroy harmful bacteria.

Fresh Milk

– Drinking a glass of whole or reduced fat milk will provide essential vitamin D and calcium to help strengthen their bones and enamel.

Cottage Cheese

– Mild cottage cheese is easy to chew and has lots of casein proteins to help protect the sensitive enamel.

3. Crunchy Raw Vegetables

Crunchy raw vegetables will help clean your child’s teeth. They will need to be chewed thoroughly.

Carrot Sticks

– Crunchy carrots will need to be chewed thoroughly to help massage their sensitive gums and clean away any loose plaque.

Celery Sticks

– Celery will become stringy which will help clean between their tight teeth.

Cucumber Slices

– Cucumber contains lots of water so will be a refreshing snack. This will help hydrate their mouth and wash any loose sugars away.

Bell Pepper Slices

– Bright red and yellow bell peppers are high in vitamin C to help keep their gums healthy and firm.

4. Hard, High Water Content Fruits

Although some fruits can be high in natural sugars, eating hard and fibrous fruits will help keep their teeth healthy.

Apple Slices

– Slicing raw apple will stimulate their saliva. This will help wash away any natural sugars and clean their enamel.

Pears

– Pears contain lots of water. This will help dilute the natural sugars so they aren’t as acidic.

Watermelon Cubes

– Fresh watermelon has lots of water content which will help naturally wash their mouth.

Strawberries

– Strawberries are high in vitamin C and natural antioxidants. This will help keep their sensitive gums healthy by boosting collagen.

5. Healthy Fats – Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are packed full of nutrients, healthy fats and essential minerals to help protect their growing teeth.

Raw Almonds

– Almonds are high in calcium and proteins to help strengthen their bones. They don’t contain any harmful simple sugars.

Sunflower Seeds

– Sunflower seeds (without the shells) are high in magnesium and phosphorus. These work alongside calcium to help repair their enamel.

Natural Peanut Butter

– Serve sugar free peanut butter with fresh celery sticks. This will create a satisfying snack full of healthy fats.

Walnuts

– Walnuts are high in omega 3 fatty acids to help reduce inflammation in their gums.

6. Drink Pure Water

Choosing what your child drinks will play a big part in keeping their teeth healthy. Drinking pure water will help their mouths recover from acid attacks.

Fluoride Water

– Pure water will help strengthen their developing enamel. It will also help wash away any food that is stuck.

Avoid Fruit Juices

– Commercial fruit juices (even 100% natural) will bath their teeth in high amounts of sugar and acids.

Rinse Their Mouth

– Encourage your child to have a quick sip of water after eating.

7. Hidden Snacks that Cause Decays

Many snacks for children are marketed as healthy but can cause damage.

Sticky Fruity Snacks

– Gummy snacks, fruit rolls and raisins will stick to the deep grooves of their teeth. This will feed harmful bacteria.

Starchy Crackers

– Crackers such as goldfish, pretzels and potato chips will break down into simple sugars. This will get stuck between their tight teeth.

Flavoured Yogurts

– Flavored yogurts (especially fruity) can be full of added sugars. They can be as high in sugars as candy bars. This will cause severe acid attacks.

Carbonated Drinks

– Carbonated drinks are highly acidic and will strip away the protective minerals.

Top Tips:

  • Choose whole foods such as raw vegetables, hard cheeses and fruits.

  • Limit your child to only having 2 snacks throughout the day.

  • Encourage them to have a sip of fresh water after their snack.

  • Serve sweet fruits with high calcium cheeses to help neutralize the natural acids.

  • Avoid sticky dried fruits and gummy snacks. These will get stuck in the chewing grooves of their back molars.

  • Avoid sugary fruit juices and swap to cold water or plain milk.

  • Check the ingredients to ensure they aren’t eating snacks with hidden added sugars. Check granola bars and fruit snacks.

  • Brush their teeth twice a day with a soft bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste.

FAQs

Are dried fruits (raisins etc.) healthy?

Dried fruits are high in natural sugars and are very sticky. This means they will get stuck in the chewing areas of their back molars. This will provide a constant food source for cavity causing bacteria. Fresh whole fruits are much better.

Why do starchy snacks cause cavities?

Refined starches will break down into simple sugars quickly. This will get stuck onto their teeth and cause acid attacks. As they are soft and sticky they will cause severe damage to their enamel like candy.

How does cheese help prevent tooth decay?

Cheese is great for children’s teeth. It helps stimulate their saliva immediately, increase the pH of their mouth and provides plenty of calcium, phosphate and casein proteins to help strengthen their enamel.

Should my child brush their teeth after eating fruit?

No. Don’t allow your child to brush their teeth after eating acidic fruits such as oranges and apples. The natural acids in the fruit will weaken their enamel. If they brush their teeth straight away they could brush away the thin layers of weakened enamel. Let them rinse their mouth with plain water and wait 30 minutes.

To keep your child’s teeth strong and healthy they should have a good oral hygiene routine and eat healthily. By swapping their sticky snacks for calcium rich dairy products, crunchy raw vegetables, hard fruits and hydrating drinks you will help protect their smile from tooth decay. Start using these healthy snacking tips to give your child a bright, confident smile free from cavities.