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Your Child's Dental Health

by Marcia R. Sivek, MS

 

Encouraging and teaching your child about dental healthcare is one of the most important New Year's resolutions you could make.  Children need a healthy balanced diet with adequate nutrients for healthy tooth formation.  Poor dietary habits can lead to tooth decay and periodontal disease.

 

A healthy diet is important for your child even before they are born, but adequate intakes of macro- (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are especially important during tooth formation.  Baby teeth erupt between 6 months to 24 months; and permanent teeth erupt between 6 years and early adolescence.  Amazingly enough, the hard tissue of developing permanent teeth continues until a child is in his/her mid-teens. 

 

The following tips will help ensure that your child has optimal oral health:

 

• Teach your child to brush and floss at least twice a day or after every meal.
• Make sure your child is receiving a diet adequate in protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, fluoride, vitamin C and vitamin D.
• Limit the consumption of sugar in-between meals
• Limit the consumption of high sugar beverages
• Make regular visits to a dentist/dental hygienist for regular professional dental care after 2 years of age.

 

Foods to Look For:

The best food sources of calcium include milk and other dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Kale, broccoli, and cauliflower also provide relatively good amounts of calcium.  Bones and tissue rely on adequate calcium stores for growth and maintaining healthy teeth. 

 

Foods with vitamin C will help maintain healthy gums. The best food sources with relatively high levels of vitamin C include asparagus, Brussels sprouts, oranges, papaya, cauliflower, kale and strawberries.  

 

Teeth, bone, and blood health depend on an adequate amount of protein, vitamin B's, and iron for optimal health.  Lean meats, fish, and poultry are good sources for protein, vitamin B's and iron, as well as magnesium and zinc. 

 

In general, firm/crunchy fruits such as apples, pears, and raw vegetables are good snack foods.  They have a high water content, which dilutes the sugar and helps stimulate saliva flow.  Saliva flow helps protect tooth decay by buffering acid and washing away food particle from the teeth.

 

Foods to Avoid or at Least Minimize:

Acidic foods such as tomatoes, lemons, and other citrus fruits should not be eaten alone but with a larger meal to minimize the effects of the acid.  Try to avoid allowing a child to go to bed with a bottle or sippy cup filled with juice.

 

Candy and many processed snacks such as potato chips, breads, and french fries are poor choices for maintaining healthy teeth.  Dried fruit should also be minimized because they are full of sugar and can stick to the teeth for a longer period of time providing a fuel source for bacteria. 

 

The best beverages are water, milk, and unsweetened tea.  Avoid sugary drinks such as soda, lemonade or fruit juices.  If sugar-containing drinks are consumed, avoid sipping on them alone throughout the day.  The constant exposure to sugar helps promote tooth decay.

 

The American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA) also have a great website for dental tips for children and adults.  The following link is to their page with the most common questions they have received from children: http://www.adha.org/kidstuff/faqs.htm.  It is a great resource.  Always consult a dental professional for your oral health.  Happy New Year, keep brushing, and keep smiling!

 

Sources:

Mitchell, Mary K.  Nutrition Across the Lifespan, 2^nd Edition.  2008.  Waveland Press, Inc. Long Grove, IL.

Gropper, Sareen et al.  Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, 5^th Edition.  2009.  Wadsworth Cengage Learning.  Belmont, CA. 

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/diet-oral-health

 

 

*Marcia Sivek is a nutritionist and freelance writer whose goal is to educate individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle.  Her passion is to educate new mothers about proper nutrition for themselves and their expected child.  She believes that the basis for a healthy lifestyle starts in the womb.  Marcia holds a Masters of Science in Nutrition and specializes in health management, fitness, and the management of disease.