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Healthy Diet Equals Healthy Teeth

By Lone Tree Pediatric Dentistry - August 9, 2021

Of course my kiddos would eat sugary treats and starchy snacks for every meal if I allowed them.  If it were up to them I would also be Willy Wonka instead of a Pediatric Dentist.  But here I am, cleaning teeth and making sure my patients have all the needed information to keep their mouth healthy.  This includes what is consumed and how it affects teeth and gum tissue.   A balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, meat and beans is what I encourage my patients, as well as my children, to eat.  A balanced diet will help teeth to develop properly and stay healthy.  Conversely, a diet high in certain kinds of carbohydrates, such as sugar and starches, may increase a child’s chance of tooth decay.  I am not saying completely remove sugar and starch out of your child’s diet.   This would be nearly impossible.  Instead explain to your child that bread, crackers, pasta, pretzels, potato chips, etc. are starches.  If your child chooses these items try to include these items as part of a meal with other food groups instead of a snack.   Sugar can be present in more than just your child’s candy jar.  A variety of foods, such as processed foods, contain one or more types of sugar, and all types of sugars can promote dental decay.  There are a few vegetables, along with most milk products, that contain at least one type of sugar.  These items I like to call “mother nature’s treats.”  I explain to my patients, and children, that these “sugar bugs” are easily washed away from their teeth with their saliva and/or milk and water.  However, sticky foods such as dried fruit or chewy candy are not.  Either way, it is important to brush twice a day and floss once a day to ensure your child’s mouth stays healthy and clean.

Until next time, eat healthy and keep brushing!

Dr. Nick