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This Valentine’s Day, you can celebrate with some treats that will please your taste buds without damaging your teeth!

Frozen Strawberries and Yogurt 

These frozen strawberry and yogurt bites are the perfect tooth-friendly treat for Valentine’s Day. Yogurt is a mouth healthy because it is packed with protein and high in calcium – both of which help build strong teeth and enamel. It also contains a healthy amount of good bacteria, which helps eliminate bad bacteria that can stick to teeth and lead to cavities. Strawberries are also high in fiber, which cleans teeth as it is consumed.

Ingredients: 

12 oz. package of strawberries 

1 Cup of non-fat Greek yogurt

Directions: 

Set aside a large baking sheet, and cover it with wax paper or tin foil. Cut off the green tops of the strawberries, and then rinse them under cold water. Next, cut the strawberries in half vertically. Dip the strawberries in the yogurt one by one, and place them on the baking sheet. After each strawberry is on the baking sheet, place it in the freezer and leave them there for 2 – 3 hours, or until the yogurt has completely hardened. 

Watermelon Heart Popsicles 

Watermelon is high in vitamin C, which helps teeth and gums by preventing cell damage that can lead to gum degeneration. In fact, a lack of vitamin C in your diet can promote bleeding gums and make it more difficult for your gums to heal. 

These heart-shaped watermelon popsicles will give you a boost of vitamin C, and help you celebrate Valentine’s Day without damaging your teeth.

Ingredients: 

1 Watermelon 

1 Heart-shaped cookie cutter 

25 medium popsicle sticks 

Directions: 

Cut the watermelon into large disks that are 1 – 1.5 inches thick. Take one of the disks and set it down flat. Then, use the cookie cutter to cut hearts from the pink area of the disk. Repeat this until the watermelon is gone, or you’ve reach your desired number of popsicles. Finally, stick the popsicle sticks into the bottom of the hearts, and put them on a baking sheet and into the freezer. Leave in the freezer until they are frozen through, about 3 – 4 hours.

Dark Chocolate

For those that aren’t feeling crafty, dark chocolate is a mouth-healthy treat that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes for Valentine’s Day. Dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate because it doesn’t contain added milk or sugar. Additionally, dark chocolate contains polyphenols, which are natural chemicals that limit the buildup of bad oral bacteria. Polyphenols also help prevent bacteria from turning sugar into acid, thereby limiting acid attacks that can damage tooth enamel. 

When buying dark chocolate, be sure that it is at least 70% cocoa to get the most nutritional value.

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A mouth-healthy diet is an important part of maintaining optimal oral health. If you’re concerned about how your child’s diet may be affecting their teeth, then bring them into our office.

A healthy snack is always a great addition to any diet, but some healthy foods are terrible for teeth. Try limiting these damaging “healthy” foods in your child’s diet to help them maintain a healthy smile.

1 - Trail Mix

A fantastic substitute for unhealthy snack foods is trail mix. But, be careful! If you decide to serve your child trail mix, look out for unhealthy ingredients that can add unhealthy amounts of sugar and fat to their plate. Try to avoid trail mix that has chocolate, dried fruit, and candy. Look for mixes that are unflavored and don’t contain any added sweets.

2 - Dried Fruit

Fruit is always great, right? Wrong! Dried fruit is a food that you should avoid if you’re trying to improve your child’s oral health. Dried fruit contains much higher levels of sugar than their natural counterparts, and none of the water that helps make fruit so healthy. Let’s use prunes as an example. Prunes are just dried plums, except just one cup of prunes contains more than 400 calories and 45 grams of sugar. However, one plum contains just 75 calories and 16 grams of sugar. The bottom line is that you should choose fresh fruit and not dried fruit.

3 - Citrus Fruits

Fruit can be great for improving health, but it can sometimes damage teeth. Citric fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemon and tangerines have a high amount of acid in them which can lead to tooth enamel erosion. If you serve your child citrus fruits, rinse their mouth out with water after they’re done eating to wash the acid away, and help prevent cavities from forming.

4 - Granola 

Granola is typically advertised as a healthier alternative to cereal that people can add into their milk or yogurt for an added dietary benefit. But here’s what they’re not advertising: granola typically contains high amounts of sugar and fat. The added sugar can lead to tooth decay, and the high density of calories can leave your child hungry and cause them to overeat.  

If you do choose granola, compare the nutritional values of your options and choose the one with the highest fiber content, and lowest amount of sugar.

Try Cheese or Fibrous Fruits! 

Cheese is high in calcium, which promotes strong teeth. But the benefits of cheese don’t end there. It also contains a protein called casein, which strengthens tooth enamel and helps to prevent cavities. Cheese also helps prevent acid from destroying tooth enamel.

Fibrous fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, celery and nuts are fantastic snacks that are healthy for teeth. That’s because the fibrous nature of these foods allow them to scrub teeth as they’re eaten, which cleans teeth of damaging sugar and acid buildup on the tooth’s surface.

A healthy, luminous smile is something that everyone values. Here’s some of the best ways for your child (and you) to earn healthier, whiter teeth without having to get expensive bleaching treatment.

What Causes Tooth Discoloration? 

There are a few things that cause tooth discoloration in children. Extrinsic discoloration (discoloration of the outer layer of tooth) is the most common form of tooth discoloration, and it’s caused by drinking sugary beverages or cola, and eating food that stains teeth. Age related tooth discoloration is caused by chips in teeth or any damage to the tooth pulp, which discolors the dentin. 

1 - Drink More Water 

Water helps naturally keep teeth clean by rinsing sugar and food debris off of the surface of teeth, which fuels cavity-growth by providing bad bacteria with the fuel it needs to spread and cause tooth decay and cavities. Water also helps keep saliva production steady, which naturally cleans teeth and combats halitosis.

2 - Avoid the Causes of Tooth Discoloration 

One of the best ways for your child to keep a whiter smile is by avoiding the causes of tooth discoloration. Try to limit or cut back entirely on highly acidic foods and drinks, sugary beverages like cola or sweetened coffee drinks, tomato sauce and dark juices. All of these foods can discolor teeth, and lead to a less luminous smile.

3 - Brush and Rinse after Every Meal 

You can empower your child to fight tooth decay and get a healthier smile by helping them get into a proper oral health routine, which means brushing twice per day for two minutes at a time, and flossing once per day. A healthy brushing routine helps keep the surface of teeth clean by removing food debris and any small stains from the prior meal. Flossing helps remove food from the hard-to-reach areas between teeth, which account for 1/3 of the total surface area of teeth.

When Should My Child Begin Whitening?

Your child shouldn’t use any teeth-whitening product on their teeth until their final adult tooth has emerged – which is usually around age 12 or 13. Additionally, your child needs to wait until their enamel has fully calcified BEFORE beginning any whitening treatment, which usually takes 2 years after an adult tooth emerges. If your child uses a whitening treatment before their adult teeth come in, then they risk breaking down their tooth enamel and damaging their gum tissue.

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Before beginning any whitening treatment at home, it’s best to consult with your child’s pediatric dentist first. If your family doesn’t have a pediatric dentist, then visit our office. We treat children of all ages, and help empower families to earn healthier smiles every day. 

Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease—5 times more common than asthma, 4 times more common than childhood obesity, and 20 times more common than diabetes. But, cavities are nearly entirely preventable and treatable. Here’s some common causes for cavities, and how to defeat cavities.  

Poor Dietary Choices 

One of the primary ways parents can help prevent cavities in their children’s mouth is by providing them with a healthy diet. Many parents understand the overall importance of a healthy diet, but are unaware of some dietary habits that could also increase their child’s cavity risk.

When preparing your child’s diet, try to incorporate as many nutrient-rich foods as possible. Focus on adding whole grains, healthy proteins like beans and nuts, and fibrous vegetables like carrots and celery – which clean teeth as they’re consumed. Also, substitute the majority of their drinks with water, which naturally cleans teeth by stimulating saliva production. Allowing children to sip on sugary beverages over long periods of time increases their exposure to sugar, and acid attacks that can erode their enamel. 

Inadequate Oral Hygiene 

It seems like a no-brainer, but you can help your child avoid cavities by simply following a proper oral healthcare routine. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists says that children should brush for two minutes at a time, twice per day, and floss once per day. When flossing, make sure that your child flosses both sides of their teeth and below the gum line. If they have difficulty flossing, then you can help them by getting them floss picks, or dental tape – which is wider and easier for children to use. You can help your child establish a routine by brushing with them, or finding some fun oral health videos online that makes brushing fun. 

Knowledge Gaps  

When it comes to healthcare, there are many knowledge gaps for parents on a variety of subjects – and that includes pediatric dentistry. The best place for parents to find reliable oral healthcare information is at their pediatric dentist’s office. Pediatric dentists have been specifically trained to care for children’s teeth, and understand the unique needs of a developing mouth.  

Cavities are Almost Completely Preventable  

Cavities do not directly cause other disease, but they do leave you more susceptible to other illnesses and infections. Despite the prevalence of cavities, there’s good news: cavities are nearly 100% preventable. You can prevent cavities by brushing twice per day for 2 minutes at a time, and flossing once per day. Additionally, you can take dietary actions to help prevent cavities.