Food and Snacks that Are Causing Cavity to Your Child’s Teeth

Published on February 12, 2021, Updated on August 25, 2021

Kids love candies, but the problem is too much of it can affect their oral health. Candies are responsible for damaging your child’s teeth as it contains sugar. Sugar is known for causing cavities and tooth decay in children. But it is not just the sweets that are causing cavities.

Through regular brushing and flossing, their teeth will grow healthy and free of cavities. However, what your child eats day by day can have a huge impact on their oral health.

If you want for them to have healthier smiles and no cavities, you need to be smart in their food choices. Here are some foods that are known to cause cavities:

Sodas

Aside from the sodas containing a lot of sugar, most soda contains phosphoric acid and citric acid which are both highly damaging to your teeth. Acids can soften the enamel which increases the risk of cavities and tooth decay.

When children drink soda, the acids in it attack and weaken the enamel which makes it easier for sugars to get into the dentin; thus, causing cavities. Cavities do not form instantly, but if your child is drinking soda regularly, it increases the chance of the development of cavities.

Read How a Pedodontist is different from a Teeth Specialist.

Fruit Juices

If you think fruit juices are a great alternative to soda, you’re wrong. These juices contain a lot of sugar – almost similar sugar content in sodas. Therefore, these have the same damaging effects as sodas, minus the acids. Since these are manufactured to not spoil and be friendly to kids, therefore they make it with a lot of preservatives and sweeteners which in turn lose all the nutrients in the manufacturing process. Sure it has the same taste as the natural fruits have, but it contains so little nutrients that we are better off consuming one fruit than drinking fruit juices.

Sticky Foods

Sticky foods can get dislodged in between the gaps and crevices of your child’s teeth. These sticky foods contain a lot of sugar; therefore, if they stay in the teeth for a long time, it can have the same damaging effects as candies.

White Bread

White bread is a type of starchy food. Starch is a refined carbohydrate meaning it breaks down into sugars almost immediately when it comes into contact with saliva. White bread also gets gummy when chewed and it could get lodged in the teeth.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus foods such as lime, lemon, and orange contain high levels of acids that will easily erode in the enamel. The citrus can melt away the enamel which could become discolored and be sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. Since the enamels have eroded, sugars can easily get into the inner layers of the tooth.

Now that you know these foods can contribute to the health of your child’s teeth, you can easily avoid foods that are affecting their smile. Aside from foods, proper oral hygiene and regular dental appointments can help to have a cavity-free smile.

Learn more about Why Your One Year Old Needs to Visit a Pediatric Dentist

Source: Dentists: Doctors of Oral Health