Watch Out for These Kid Friendly Foods

Did you know that tooth decay is the most chronic childhood disease? Tooth decay in children is five times more common that childhood asthma and nearly seven times more common than hay fever. It is proven that poor oral health in children can lead to more serious health issues later in life. Problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke are all influenced and can be directly linked to poor oral health.

There are some common childhood foods that seem good for your kids, but in reality can cause more harm than good. Avoid unnecessary cavities by being aware of these common childhood foods that are leading culprits of tooth decay.

Gummy Vitamins: If you can avoid giving your child vitamins in the form of a gummy you would be protecting their teeth. Even though gummy vitamins are chocked full of important vitamins and minerals, their delivery method is bad for kids teeth. Gummies tend to stick to teeth and get trapped between teeth and into the natural grooves of teeth which can promote tooth decay and cavities. Dry chewable vitamins or powder vitamins are a better alternative than gummies.

Fruit Juice: Even juice that is 100% juice contains a great deal of sugar. Busy parents often choose juice over sodas and soft drinks, however the sugar in juice acts like the sugar in soft drinks and is a leading cause of tooth decay. If you do give your child juice, be sure to cut it in half with water to dilute the amount of sugar. It is not good for your child’s teeth to sip on juice all throughout the day. Try limiting juice to one a day and follow up juice with a bit of water to help clean the sugar off the teeth.

Sports Drinks: Sports drinks are typically loaded with sugar and citric acid flavoring which breaks down and eats away at tooth enamel. Using a straw to consume sports drinks and juice does help keep the liquid away from teeth.

Granola Bars: Granola bars may seem like a healthy snack but any type of sticky food has the ability to stick to your teeth and cause decay. Sticky foods like granola bars, dried fruit, even general snacking can leave food on the teeth for extended periods of time. Choosing healthy snacks like crunchy fruits and vegetables is a much better option for teeth, even a chocolate bar is better for your teeth than a sticky granola bar. If your child eats sticky foods, be sure they follow up by drinking a glass of water.