While we all know that large amounts of candy isn’t the greatest choice for your kid’s dental health, Scottsdale dentist, Dr. Judy Huey DDS, shares her top 10 surprising culprits of tooth decay in children.
1. Gummy Vitamins
(Photo by David O’Hare / CC BY)
Children may love the taste of gummy vitamins, but they are not great for their teeth. Any food with a sticky and chewy texture tends to adhere to your teeth for a prolonged period in the grooves, crevices, and in between the teeth, which can lead to cavities.
Better alternative: Powdered vitamin supplements, like alternaVites Kids Multivitamins. These vitamins, which will remind your child of Pixi Stix, go down quickly and don’t stick to teeth.
2. Dried Fruit and Granola Bars
Many parents serve dried fruits and granola bars to their kids as a healthy snack, but don’t realize that these types of snacks are sticky and can adhere to a child’s teeth long after it has been eaten. Since it is harder for saliva to reach in between teeth to act as a natural neutralizer, this can lead to cavities, as well as calcium loss and tooth damage.
Better alternative: Fresh fruit, veggies, and snacks that go down quickly. If kids are craving sweets and want a special treat, try a piece of chocolate since it isn’t sticky and doesn’t linger in their mouth. Always follow with water.
3. Sour Candy
While most types of candy are sugary, sour candy offers some of the worst effects on teeth. Special acids are added to sour candies to give them that tart taste which can damage the protective enamel on teeth. Chewy sour candies like sour patch kids and sour gummy worms are the worst. (Photo by Steven Depolo / CC BY)
4. Starchy Food
Foods like white bread, potato chips, saltines, and pasta can easily get stuck on and between your teeth. Though these foods may not taste sweet, the simple starches convert to sugar almost immediately after consuming. (Photo by localfarmfoodie.com)
5. Soda
Of course sodas have overly generous amounts of sugar so they should not be a surprise on this list. However, sugar is not the only harmful ingredient. Sodas also contain corrosive acids that deteriorate tooth enamel. Whether you drink diet, regular, clear, or dark sodas, the effects can be harmful to teeth.
6. Juices
Most parents know to limit sodas for their children, but juices can be a poor choice too, as most tend to be high in sugar. Apple juice can have up to 10 teaspoons of sugar. Citrus, apple, and berry juices are also highly acidic.
Better alternative: Water! If your kids get bored of plain water, try muddling some raspberries and mint in their water. If you still choose to serve juice, only serve juices that are 100% juice with no added sugar. Dilute it by 50% with water (it’s economical too!), and have them drink it with a straw. Better yet, juice your own fruit and veggies. Limit your kids’ use of sippy cups. Children who use sippy cups are more susceptible to the negative effects because their teeth are in direct contact with the cup. If you do serve juice to your kids, do so with a meal rather than letting them drink it throughout the day.
7. Sports Drinks
If you’ve stocked these to keep your child hydrated during exercise sessions, it is time you try other options such as plain old water. The high acidic levels in sports and energy beverages erode tooth enamel; one of the many reasons why children should not consume them.
8. Fruit Pouches
Those squeezable fruit and veggie pouches that are so convenient to give to your little ones are a big culprit for early onset cavities in babies and toddlers. The problem is that they tend to be very high in sugar. Gerber’s organic apple puree has 11 grams of sugar, while other varieties can be up to 20 grams. In addition to the added sugar, most pouches are preserved with citric acid, which causes erosion of tooth enamel. Furthermore, the texture of the food in these pouches tend to stick more to your child’s teeth, making your child’s teeth susceptible to cavities.
Better alternative: Real fruits and veggies.
9. Yogurt for Kids
Supermarkets are loaded with special yogurt for kids in squeezable pouches. Again, they tend to be loaded with sugar. Make sure to pay attention to labels. Sugar can be disguised as: high fructose corn syrup, anything ending in an -ose, rice syrup, agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, etc.
Better alternative: Buy plain yogurt and mix in your own fresh or thawed frozen fruit. Little ones enjoy mixing the yogurt and fruit to turn it a different color.
10. Popcorn
This cheap snack can come with a price. Chomping down on a stone-like kernel rather than a fluffy piece of popcorn has caused many children to crack or lose a part of their tooth.
Better alternative: Rice cakes.
Dr. Judy Huey can help you understand how food choices and eating habits play an important role in a child’s dental health. Schedule your child’s next dental appointment with Dr. Judy today.
