Caring for your family’s dental health is vital, especially when children are young and learning new habits.
However, their dental health includes more than just brushing teeth regularly; you need to consider their diet and how foods they may be consuming on a regular basis could be contributing to tooth decay.
In particular, the regular consumption of high sugar foods and drinks can lead to the weakening of tooth enamel and ultimately, tooth decay.
Read on to find out three of the worst food types for causing tooth decay.
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Soft Drinks and Juice
Sweet tasting drinks like soft drinks, cordial, and fruit juice are often readily given to children as a treat or as part of their daily diet, but did you know just how damaging sugary drinks can be to children’s teeth?
Children that regularly consume sweet drinks are at a higher risk of tooth decay, as these drinks cause erosion of the outer surface of the tooth enamel. Soft drinks in particular also stain your child’s teeth!
Preventing the integrity of the tooth enamel is crucial to the long-term health of your child’s teeth, as well as their overall health.
The best way to avoid this type of tooth decay is to restrict your child’s consumption of soft drinks, fruit juice and cordials, and provide water as the main option instead.
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High-Sugar Snacks and Foods
It can be hard to shy kids away from the captivating marketing on TV and in supermarkets for sugary lunchbox snacks and ‘delicious’ high carbohydrate foods.
Snacks
In addition to sugary snacks and foods being high in calories and often low in nutrients, these foods can also lead to tooth decay.
Rather than just packing high sugar store-bought muesli bars or sugary muffins in their lunchbox, opt for seasonal fruit and veggies, homemade muffins or cheese and crackers to keep your child fuelled for play.
Breakfast Cereals
Sugary breakfast cereals are also another contributor to tooth decay in children, with more than 60% of cereals providing over half the recommended sugar intake for four to six-year-olds.
These cereals can be hard to avoid in the cereal aisle – they’re brightly coloured, ‘yummy’ and are well-marketed to kids.
While it can be hard to make a change, switching up breakfast options by opting for low sugar cereals or eating a savoury breakfast with dairy and whole wheat toast is a great way to avoid unnecessary amounts of sugar (and tooth decay) in your child.
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Lollies
As a child, your parents probably warned you that too many lollies would rot your teeth.
Well, they weren’t entirely wrong! In particular, sticky lollies and sour lollies tend to be the worst for your child’s teeth.
Minimise your child’s intake of lollies to every now and then, rather than regularly, and if your child does consume lollies, make sure they brush their teeth soon afterwards to remove the sugar from their mouth.
Schedule a Visit to Midland Dental
Help to prevent the onset of tooth decay in your child’s teeth with a well-rounded., balanced diet that minimises the consumption of sugary foods like the above.
The team at Midland Dental are available to treat your family with a range of services, from preventative dentistry right through to cosmetic dentistry. If you need assistance to pay for treatment, we also offer dental payment plans.
Get professional, friendly and experienced dental care for your whole family at Midland Dental. Contact us today to book an appointment with our clinic.