School is starting, which means that parents everywhere are trying to establish and plan a routine that’s good for their households. A big consideration is whether to pack their kids’ lunches for school or have them buy cafeteria lunches. While there’s no superior choice here, especially considering that every parent has different resources and capacities, there’s one consideration that you may want to make, and that’s how their diet can impact their cavity risk. Read on to learn how packing tooth-healthy lunches or stocking your pantry with cavity-fighting snacks can keep your child’s oral health on the right track.
Creating a Tooth-Healthy Packed Lunch
If you plan on packing your child’s lunch during the school year, you have the option to customize what goes in their lunch box. This can go a long way in helping them maintain a healthy smile! Some ways to incorporate tooth-healthy snacks into their daily diet include:
- Sweet treats don’t always have to be gummies or candy. You can substitute fresh fruits, which are less sticky and can have natural “tooth brushing” properties.
- Although your child may enjoy juice or sports drinks, these are high in sugar and can attract harmful oral bacteria. Instead, consider sending them with a reusable water bottle. You can even add sugar-free flavoring to their water!
- Who doesn’t love potato chips? They’re the ideal snack alongside a sandwich, but the truth is that they create a gloopy paste that can coat the teeth and cause harmful oral bacteria to become trapped on them. Instead, try substituting fresh fibrous vegetables like celery that can naturally brush away plaque.
“Healthy” Branding Doesn’t Always Make It So
It’s important to keep in mind that just because a product is branded as “healthy” doesn’t mean it’s good for your child’s oral health. Dried fruits, granola, and fruit snacks are some of the “healthy food” culprits that can actually lead to a higher risk of cavities. These foods are high in sugar and become trapped in the molars. Even fruit juice boxes can be branded as healthy but still pose a risk to your little one’s oral health!
How Can an Unbalanced Diet Lead to Cavities?
Most snacks that you can buy for packed lunches consist of carbohydrates, like sugars. While they’re not always bad for your child, it’s important to ensure that they don’t eat carb-heavy foods in excess, as these are the main food source of harmful oral bacteria that lead to cavities. As the bacteria munches on the sugars stuck to the teeth leftover by fruit snacks and potato chips, they release waste in the form of enamel-eroding acid. This acid gradually eats through the tooth, causing depressions and decay that will eventually require a tooth-colored filling.
As a parent, making big changes to you and your child’s routine can be overwhelming, so don’t try to alter everything your child eats at once! In fact, it can be a more positive and helpful experience to make small substitutions like the ones listed above over time. This will help your child get used to them gradually, ultimately while still leading them to a healthier smile.
About the Author
Dr. Nisha Mehta is a proud mother herself, as well as a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist. She has completed specialty training in the diagnosis and treatment of developing smiles and served as Chief Resident during her pediatric dentistry residency. She enjoys educating parents about the causes of cavities and helping them make small, incremental changes in their child’s daily diet and life to encourage a healthier smile. For questions or to schedule a checkup and cleaning, visit Wellspring Pediatric Dentistry’s website or call 281-849-3003.