Healthier Snack Options to Prevent Cavities in Children

When it comes to your kids and snacking, you can almost bet they’ll choose something filled with sugar or carbohydrates. Potato chips, candy, and sugar-filled juice boxes are a child’s ideal afternoon snack, but little do they know these items are just waiting to wreak havoc on their teeth. As a parent, you want your child’s smile to look and feel great, so to keep tooth decay from developing, try replacing cavity-causing foods for these healthier alternatives.

What Causes Cavities to Form?

Tooth decay is a common occurrence in young children. Since they are learning to perfect their oral hygiene skills, it’s often difficult for them to clean many of the hard-to-reach areas of their mouth (i.e. molars and premolars). They’re also eating snacks and drinking beverages that are filled with sugar and/or starch, causing tooth decay to become more prevalent.

When bacteria begin to feed on the sugars and starches in their mouth, it begins to eat away at their tooth enamel and create what is known as plaque, which is a sticky, yellow film that accumulates on their teeth. As the calcium in their teeth become depleted, a cavity develops.

What Are Some Healthier Alternatives for Children to Eat?

While working with your child at home on improving their oral hygiene habits, you should also make sure they are eating the right foods and limiting their intake of sugar and starch. Knowing what to buy the next time you go to the grocery store will help to ensure your little one is receiving a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet that is helping to keep their body and smile looking and feeling its best.

Some of the best snacks you can offer your child include:

• Yogurt because it’s a great source of protein and calcium (just make sure it’s not filled with sugar)
• Popcorn that doesn’t contain loads of butter or salt
• Celery with peanut butter and raisins (i.e. ants on a log)
• Nuts
• Trail mix that includes mixed nuts, dried fruit, and whole-grain cereal
• Cottage cheese
• Sliced pears with ricotta cheese
• Oatmeal
• Fruit smoothie
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Turkey and avocado roll-up
• Sweet potatoes
• Pickles
• Hummus and carrot sticks
• Fruit
• Raw vegetables

While these are just a few of the many healthy alternatives you can choose when packing your child’s lunch or whipping up a snack for them at home, you can feel good knowing their smile is safe from dreaded tooth decay.

By combining a well-balanced diet with proper oral hygiene habits at home, a children’s dentist in Weyauwega will most certainly provide a positive report at their next visit.

About the Author
Dr. William Twohig has dedicated the last 20 of his 40 years of practicing dentistry searching for alternative methods to offer his patients. Working with a large group of natural practitioners, chiropractors, acupuncturists, traditional doctors, and specialists, he and his staff use a natural and holistic approach, helping patients of all ages. With a breadth of available services designed to combat tooth decay, gum disease, and other common problems, he can help to improve you and your family’s overall health and wellbeing using natural methods of treatment. To learn what you can do to minimize cavities in your child’s smile, visit our website or call (920) 867-3101.