Foods to Avoid for Your Child's Dental Health

Encouraging your child to build healthy oral habits has multiple benefits, including preventing tooth decay. While good oral hygiene starts with brushing twice-daily and flossing, monitoring what your child is eating is just as important. These steps fall under preventative dental care for kids.

At Hines Little Smiles Pediatric Dentistry serving New Albany and the surrounding Columbus area, we’re committed to providing oral health education and helping to prevent cavities in children. Below are common foods to avoid for healthy teeth and smile.

Sugary foods

While sugar occurs naturally in a lot of healthy foods like fruit, sugary foods that are bad for your child’s teeth are those that contain added sugar. They are notorious for causing children cavities and potential tooth loss. Those foods include cakes, pies, doughnuts, cookies, ice cream, jams, and jellies. Sweetened drinks and certain fruit juices also fall into this category. Sugar-ridden foods are bad for dental health because they attract cavity-causing bacteria. These bacteria make acid that gradually creates tiny holes in the tooth enamel called cavities.

Starchy Foods

Starchy foods have long been linked to dental caries. They consist of those that are high in  carbohydrates. While the body needs carbs for energy, it is important to choose foods with healthy or complex carbs as found in many vegetables or whole grains. Unhealthy carbs are typically those that are refined, including white bread, pasta, white rice, potato chips, or crackers.

These are simple carbohydrate foods that are quickly broken down into sugars and acid by bacteria in the mouth. The result is excessive plaque and tartar buildup that can slowly affect children’s dental health.

Acidic Foods

The term, “acidic foods,” refers to foods with a high acid content. They do not support tooth health since they increase the release of acids in the mouth, so they should be consumed in limited quantities to avoid unnecessary tooth enamel loss. Types of high-acidic foods to avoid include citrus fruits, sodas and apple juice. Acidic foods strip tooth enamel, weaken the teeth, and make it easier for bacteria to cause tooth decay. Teeth may also appear yellow or become sensitive.

Drinking water or milk after consuming acidic foods helps reduce the effects of acids on the teeth.

Candy

Candy, whether hard or soft, does not pair well with tooth health. The confectioneries are high in sugars and citric or fruit acids. Sticky and gummy candies are hard to remove, particularly from the pits and grooves of the teeth.

The longer tiny candy particles sit on and between the teeth, the greater the chance for bacteria to feed on the sugars and acids they contain. In addition to coating the teeth with sugary residue, biting hard candy can crack or chip the teeth, bruise the gum, or damage tooth fillings.

With mindful food choices, your child can maintain healthy teeth and gums. They may not enjoy having to give up the list of foods that cause cavities. However, it is an important preventative dental care for kids strategy alongside daily oral cleansing and regular dental checkups every six months. Altogether, they minimize the need for cavity treatment and tooth repair.

Schedule a Visit to Our Pediatric Dentistry in Columbus, OH

At Hines Little Smiles, we partner with moms and dads to help kids set healthy habits for life. We do so by providing information on the benefits of daily oral care and additional steps for preventing children cavities. Our compassionate clinicians are dedicated to providing a fun and positive experience during your child’s visit. Call 614-475-5439 or request an appointment online.

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