Snacking: A Slippery Slope to Cavities
Your child’s diet can affect his or her teeth.1 And sugar isn’t the only culprit; many snack foods are to blame, too.2 Here are some healthy nutrition habits to help protect baby teeth:
Don’t give kids soda in a sippy cup.2 This encourages them to nurse it all afternoon, leaving sugar on the teeth.2 Instead, give kids calcium-rich low-fat milk.3
Limit sweet snacks, crackers, potato chips, and other high-carbohydrate foods.2,3
Avoid gooey or chewy sweets.4 They stay on the teeth longer than foods that your child will swallow quickly.4
Have sweets as a dessert after a meal instead of between meals.4
1 “Dental Hygiene: How to Care for Your Child's Teeth.”American Academy of Family Physicians, June 2007. familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/kidshealthy/healthy-choice/227.printerview.html Accessed 2008.
2 “What Foods Cause Tooth Decay in Children?” American Academy of General Dentistry, February 2007. www.agd.org/public/oralhealth/Default.asp?IssID=295&Topic=C&ArtID=1161 Accessed 2008.
3“Child Dental Health.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, September 25, 2008 . www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childdentalhealth.html Accessed 2008.
4 “Snack Smart for Healthy Teeth.” National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, August 1, 2008. www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/OralHealthInformation/ChildrensOralHealth/SnackSmartforHealthyTeeth.htm Accessed 2008.
Date Last Reviewed:
12/8/2008
Date Last Modified:
10/6/2008