Kids love to eat candies, ice creams, cookies and other sugary foods. Most of the foods from the grocery are not good for their health and teeth as well. Teeth problems in your child may worrisome you. You should know the list of foods that are to be limited in your child’s diet for healthy teeth.
Children have the ability to fulfill the wishes with their tantrums. Parents being unable to see their child cry will grant their wishes ignoring its adverse effects to health and teeth.
This article discusses the types of teeth problems that occur if a child takes bad foods or drinks. It presents the list of foods that cause tooth decay in children.
What are the Worst Foods or drinks that cause teeth decay in children?
Carbohydrates and sugars present in the foods may remain on your child’s teeth leading to the teeth decay. For the child over the age of 2, 23 grams of added sugar is the safe limit per day. Kids below the age of 2 are not recommended to eat the foods with added sugars.
Here are a few bad foods for children’s teeth that you should avoid or limit in your child’s diet for healthy teeth.
1. Sugary Candies:
Chewy and sugary candies may cause many health problems along with tooth decay. Candies pack tons of sugar in a small pack. There are hundreds of different types of candies available in the market.
Here are the list of foods that cause tooth decay in children:
- Skittles
- Star burst
- Laffy Taffy
- Gummy bears
- Jolly ranchers
- Ring pops
- Airheads
- Marshmallows
How sugars affect teeth:
Let’s see how candies may impact your kid’s teeth. As soon as your kid consumes sugar foods, in just a few seconds they combine with the bacteria on the teeth to form acids. This acid will begin to attack the enamel on the teeth and break it down.
The acids produced from the reaction between sugars and bacteria which lead to cavities and may further cause drop in pH levels in the mouth. The ideal pH levels in the mouth should be 7, anything under 5.5 will cause cavities.
Always keep the mouth of your child neutral by giving plenty of water.
2. Citrus Fruits:
Fruits and vegetables, which are the source of more nutritious food, will help in keeping your child healthy. But, it is very important to know that there are some fruits and vegetables that take a toll on your child’s teeth.
Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and tangerines have high amounts of acid in them which causes enamel erosion. Enamel erosion makes the teeth more susceptible to tooth decay.
Tips to follow to avoid the adverse effects of citrus fruits on teeth:
You don’t need to avoid these citrus fruits which are rich in vitamin C. Here are the few tips to follow while taking these citrus foods to keep your kid’s teeth healthy:
- Make your kids use straws while drinking citrus fruit juices like lemon, cranberry juice, grapes, pineapples, apples etc. This reduces the direct contact of the juices with the teeth.
- Rinse with water after eating the citrus foods which help in diluting the acids in the mouth.
- Never allow your kid to suck the lemons as it may soften the enamel on the teeth.
- Allow your kid to eat cheese after citrus fruits as they neutralize the acid levels in the mouth by increasing the saliva production and raising the pH levels.
3. Dried Fruits:
Dried fruits are concentrated sources of sugars. The process of drying evaporates all the water content in them leaving the sugars.
How dried fruits affects teeth?
Dried fruits are more sticky which makes them difficult to rinse through saliva in the mouth and allows sugars to stay on mouth for longer times on the mouth leading to tooth decay.
Dried fruits always stand the first priority while packing foods for vacation. Make sure to rinse the mouth after eating dried fruits. Brush and floss your teeth regularly to remove the remaining pieces of dried fruits that are stuck in the gaps.
4. Bread, Chips, and Pasta:
Foods such as bread, chips and pasta are rich in starch and are harmful to the teeth just as sugars. Starchy foods can easily convert into sugars when stuck in between the teeth and leads to enamel corrosion, tooth decay and cavities.
Teach your kid to gently brush the teeth after having a big meal with bread, chips, and pasta.
5. Carbonated Beverages and Other Drinks:
Excess sugar content in the beverages harms both health and teeth.
Sugar in the soda or beverages reacts with bacteria in the mouth. Whereas the sugar free drinks, on the other side, contain acids in them.
The acid attacks your kid’s teeth enamel and may further soften their non developed teeth enamel. Sports drinks may give you instant energy but, may harm the teeth being the rich source of carbohydrates. It is okay if your kid consumes energy drinks while playing with his/her sports team. But, don’t make them consume it regularly by storing it in the fridge.
6. Smoothies:
Smoothies are the great way to get the nutritional benefits of the fruits. But dentists warn that the high levels of sugars in the smoothies may damage good dental hygiene and promote tooth decay.
Every time you sip the smoothies, your teeth remain under the acidic reaction for about one hour. Constant consumption throughout the day may lead to erosion of protective enamel coating on the teeth.
It is not recommended to brush immediately after drinking smoothie as it might have weakened the enamel layer.
7. Dark Cola:
Most of the kids like the dark, and sugary drinks. They have the ability to stain your child’s teeth and erode protective enamel.
Allow your kid to drink healthy and less sugary drinks and juices.
8. Sticky Sweets:
Kids love taffy, caramels, donuts and other sticky sweets. Being the rich source of sugars, they lead to enamel erosion and tooth decay.
These sticky sweets may get stuck in between the teeth and make it difficult to remove by brushing or by flossing.
9. Pickles:
You might think pickles are healthy to consume as they are low in calories and sugars. But, they contain large amounts of enamel.
Regular eating of the pickles may lead to teeth discoloration and tooth decay.
10. Canned Fruits:
Canned fruits and regular fruits are the same in appearance and nutritious values. Canned fruits like peaches or apricots are allowed to bathe in sugary syrup.
Similar to the sugars, sugary syrup settles on the teeth and produces acids on reaction with the bacteria on the teeth. If you wish to have canned fruits, prefer the ones that are bathed in water instead of sugar syrup.
11. Popcorn and Corn on the Cob:
Corn is fiber rich food and works well to treat constipation and has many health benefits.
Here is a small hurdle, when your child eats popcorn there may be possibility that corn pieces may get stuck in the teeth leading to gum infections.If your kid has braces, they may damage brackets. It is very hard to get them out.
It is absolutely fine if your child brushes and flosses his/her teeth after eating popcorn.
12. Ice:
Ice, being frozen form of water with no other added ingredients. Biting the hard ice may make your child’s teeth more susceptible to breaking, loosening, chipping etc. If your kid has braces do not allow them to consume ice without crushing.
13. Coffee:
Caffeinated coffee and tea dry and stain the mouth. Keep your kids away from the coffee and tea as the caffeine levels do not do good for the health and teeth of your child.
If your child drinks coffee occasionally make sure to keep them hydrated by giving plenty of fluids.
14. Crackers:
Crackers contain refined carbohydrates. Some other types of crackers convert to sugar in the mouth which helps to feed the bacteria in the mouth. Crackers become mushy when chewed and lodge in the gaps between the teeth.
15. Milk:
Lactic acid in the mil makes it slightly acidic. It is fine to consume a glass of milk or put it along with cereal.
How to Repair the Damage?
Limit the food that stains or damages your teeth. Here are the few foods that help your teeth to regain their original healthy texture.
1. Sugarless Gums:
Sugarless gums are free from sugar and sweeteners are used to impart sweetness while chewing.
Sugarless gums help to fight against the damage by reducing the dryness of the mouth. Pain medications, muscle relaxers, decongestants may contribute to the mouth dryness by reducing the production of saliva in the mouth. Sugarless gums increase the saliva production.
2. High Fiber Foods:
High fiber foods keep increases the saliva production thereby creates defense against tooth decay. Fresh fruits like bananas, apples and vegetables like beans, sprouts, peat, peanuts, and bran are rich sources of fiber.
3. Water:
Fluids keep the sugars and acids off the teeth. It is a source of mineral known as fluoride that fights against the enamel erosion and is commonly found in toothpastes and mouthwashes.
Water also gives many health benefits like flushes the waste, maintains the body temperature, prevents kidney damage and helps to regain the energy levels during the exercise.
4. Diary:
Diary products are the rich source of proteins which help in repairing and building muscle tissues. Vitamin A in the milk helps to sustain the good oral health and lactic acid in the milk helps to prevent the tooth decay by killing the bacteria in the mouth.
Cheese, one of the dairy products, is rich in casein which along with calcium helps in strengthening the bones and teeth enamel.
5. Strawberries:
Strawberries are rich in malic acid that whitens the teeth enamel.
Mix the baking soda to the crushed strawberry pulp and spread it over your teeth gently with the brush. Rinse it off with water after 5 minutes.
6. Apples:
It is a well known myth that an apple a day can keep the doctor away. It can also keep the cavities away. Chewing crunchy and fibrous foods can scrub away the sticky bacteria from the teeth.
7. Celery and Carrots:
The vegetables are rich in water and fiber which helps in balancing the sugar levels and scrubbing the tooth surfaces.
8. Broccoli and Green Leafy Vegetables:
Folic acid found in the leafy vegetables is known to nourish the health of gums and teeth.
9. Eggs:
Eggs are rich source of minerals like vitamin D, protein, and calcium that are required to maintain the good health of teeth
Tips to Heal the Cavities:
Here are the few tips to heal the cavities naturally:
- Reduce sugary foods: Reduce the foods that are rich in sugar, carbohydrates, and starch.
- Increase Fat Soluble Intake: Increase the fat soluble intake to reverse the process of tooth decay. Fat soluble vitamins include vitamin A, D, K, B12 and E.
- Toothpaste with cavity healing properties: Use remineralizing toothpaste which contains calcium, magnesium, and coconut oils which help to soothe the healing.
- Limit Soft drinks: Reduce the consumption of soft drinks in your kid’s diet
- Keep your kid’s mouth hydrated: Offer only water to your kid at the bed time.
- Limit Phytic acid: Limit the amounts of processed foods in your kid’s diet which are the source of phytic acid.
- Increase vitamin D intake: It is well known that calcium strengthens the bones. But it needs phosphorous to enhance the bone strengthening. Vitamin D help in maintaining the calcium and phosphorus in balance.
- Licorice roots: Licorice roots have anti inflammatory and immune boosting properties. Make your child eat the lollipops made from licorice roots. Licorice root helps in inhibiting the growth of bacteria causing cavities. Allow your kid to brush their teeth with licorice roots.
- Oil Pulling: Make your kid try oil pulling which is a process of swishing all over the with with either coconut oil or sesame oil. As both these oils are edible they do not pose any harm even if your child swallows them in small quantities.
Good dental food habits are very important for children from childhood which helps them to carry healthy smiles to adulthood. Teach your child the importance of healthy teeth and make your children aware of the bad foods that damage their teeth.
