You probably know that diet plays an important role in your oral and dental health. But did you know that this starts from your child’s earliest years? Your child might lose their baby teeth as they grow, but their diet — good or bad — will continue to affect their oral health for many years to come. That’s why it is so important to start good oral hygiene habits from the time they get their first tooth. Here is everything you need to know about diet, oral health, and how you can keep your children’s mouths healthy and happy.

How Food Choices Affect Oral Health

There are many ways that dietary choices can affect oral health. These go beyond simple things that we have all heard before, like the bad effects of sugar. From fortifying enamel by providing essential vitamins and minerals to weakening protective enamel, here are some of the top ways the food you eat affects your teeth and mouth.

Vitamins and Minerals For Healthy Teeth

Like any other part of the body, your teeth need essential vitamins and minerals. This is true for your whole life, but it is especially important during the early years, when your teeth are still developing. Getting these important vitamins and minerals as a child helps establish a strong foundation for your future oral health.

These vitamins and minerals include:

• Calcium — This all-important mineral strengthens teeth and bones, providing extra support in the mouth and jaw. It also builds tooth enamel, protecting against decay.
• Vitamin D — Well-known as an essential vitamin for strong bone development, vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium more effectively and improves bone density.
• Vitamin A — This vitamin helps mucous membranes to function, like the ones in your mouth. Proper functioning is essential for saliva production and healing injuries in your mouth.
• Vitamin C — Vitamin C helps improve gums and soft tissues, like the ones in the mouth.
• Potassium -- Potassium improves bone density and lowers the acidity of the blood, further protecting the mouth.
• Vitamin K -- This vitamin offers protection, especially when it comes to healing wounds.
• Phosphorous -- Phosphorous builds bones and enamel for strong, healthy teeth.

Best Foods For Oral Health

So now that you know what vitamins and minerals your children need to build strong teeth and maintain oral health, what foods provide these all-important building blocks? Here are the top healthy choices for a dental-friendly diet!

Dairy Products

We have all heard that milk is full of calcium. Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are excellent ways to get your daily dose of calcium. If your children don’t consume dairy products, there are plenty of other healthy foods that are high in the mineral, too, including broccoli, carrots, salmon, seeds, almonds, and tofu. Some commercially-prepared dairy substitutes like soy milk are also fortified with calcium.

Fish

Certain kinds of fish, such as tuna and “fatty” types like salmon, sardines, trout, and mackerel, are high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Canned tuna is a cheap and easy way to get an extra helping of these vitamins.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens are full of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and vitamin A.

Fortified Food & Drink

Many commercially-produced and -packaged foods are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals these days. That offers more options for getting these important elements from store bought juice, cereal, dairy products, and more.

How Food Does Damage to Teeth

Foods can also do damage to your teeth. Foods that are high in acid wear away at enamel and increase the risk of wounds in your mouth. Sugary foods, especially sticky ones, eat away at enamel and increase the risk of tooth decay.

For the best oral health, avoid these foods or keep them to a minimum:

• Sticky candies
• Starchy foods that get stuck in your teeth, such as some breads and potato chips
• Soda
• Dried fruit
• Acidic foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, pineapple, vinegar, and others

How to Improve Your Child's Dental Health

Encourage “Eating The Rainbow”

It’s an old trick, but when it comes to dental health, it is really useful! For younger children, teach them about how colorful foods offer more of the vitamins that their teeth need.

• Red — salmon, shrimp, tomatoes (potassium)
• Orange — citrus fruits, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apricots (vitamin A)
• Yellow — egg yolks, bananas (vitamin A, potassium)
• Green — leafy greens, avocadoes, broccoli (calcium, vitamin C)
• Blue — blueberries (vitamins K and C)
• Purple — prunes, eggplant, berries (vitamins K and C, potassium)

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is an important and often-overlooked part of keeping your mouth healthy. When your mouth is dry, bacteria, acids, and other harmful substances build up on your teeth, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Of course, hydrating with high-sugar drinks like juice and soda aren’t good for your oral health, either! Water is the best choice for your kids to drink throughout their day to stay hydrated and promote saliva production.

Teach Them How to Brush Their Teeth From The Get-Go

Even before your children have their permanent teeth, make sure they are brushing twice a day. Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Children younger than five or six may need supervision to make sure they reach their back teeth with their toothbrush and brush for about two minutes. This is the best preventive measure for avoiding cavities and gum disease.

Take Your Child to The Dentist Regularly

For the best oral health, visit the dentist with your child at least twice a year. Your dental health care provider will examine their teeth and clean them with fluoride varnish to remove plaque buildup. This is also the best way to catch any tooth decay before it becomes a serious problem.

The Bottom Line

Helping your children take care of their teeth is a journey that starts from the very beginning. While it can feel overwhelming, a good diet combined with daily toothbrushing and regular visits to the dentist are the start of a lifelong good oral health.

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