Parents can probably make a pretty good guess as to what sorts of snacks a kid friendly dentist in New York would declare unhealthy for a child’s teeth. Candy, for sure, is a bad choice, especially the sticky kind that hangs on and breaks down tooth enamel. Cookies and cakes probably do not have the dentist’s seal of approval, and neither do those sweet drinks that kids love to guzzle for hours. Which nutritious snacks should parents be serving instead to keep kids’ teeth healthy and strong?
Topping the good-for-little-teeth list would probably be snacks that create a lot of saliva in a child’s mouth. That may sound unappealing, but in fact, it gives teeth a rinse even while children are eating. Foods in this category include kid-favorites such as cheese, nuts and crunchy and juicy fruits and vegetables, such as apples, celery and carrots. High-fiber foods, in general, are good for this purpose and for all sorts of other nutritional needs. Try whole-grain crackers in place of puffy and deep-fried snacks.
Crunchy fruits and vegetables have the additional benefit of scrubbing the teeth while a child chews. It is still a good idea to have kids brush their teeth after eating any snacks, but especially when they are away from home at snack time, these teeth-wiping snacks make a good choice. A kid friendly dentist in New York might also recommend sugar-free gum as a good option for brushing on the go, and kids may find that to be a treat in itself.
Snacks that are packed with bone-building minerals, including yogurt and other dairy products, help build up teeth instead of weakening them. Other snack-friendly foods with minerals that help to improve dental health and hygiene are pineapples, watermelon, avocados, cashews and almonds. Of course, snacking on sardines, broccoli and lentils would be great too, but good luck getting kids to go for that.
If these snacks sound like they would generally be good healthy stuff for the whole body and not just the teeth, they are. Although this is good news for kids’ overall well-being, it is maybe not so great for getting a child to actually eat this stuff. If good-for-you goodies are a hard sell, be a little sneaky and look for cereals that are fortified with those tooth-helping minerals and maybe a little fluoride to boot. Skip the most sugar-packed ones, of course, but there may be a good compromise available on that cereal shelf.
If your resident sugar fiend just will not give up the sweets, at least make sure that consumption is followed by a good thorough brushing with a fluoride toothpaste. Have kids pick a toothpaste flavor that is appealing, and consider that the healthy snack in this case. Another good strategy is to ask a kid friendly dentist in New York to give the pitch for better snacking choices and explain all the cool things good foods do to help create strong teeth. Some of these snacks are like bacteria-vanquishing superheroes!
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