We all know that candy can easily rot a child’s teeth, but unfortunately, it’s far from the only danger when it comes to your child’s diet. Some foods are just as bad as candy for a child’s teeth, and sometimes, even worse. At Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry, our mission is to help kids throughout Savannah and Statesboro develop beautiful, healthy smiles through comprehensive pediatric dental treatment, so we’d like to highlight a few foods that can contribute to tooth decay just as much as candy.
Top Foods That Damage the Teeth
Controlling and moderating the consumption of sweets is important for helping your child maintain a healthy smile, but unfortunately, candy isn’t the only culprit. Here are a few common foods that can be just as damaging as candy for your child’s smile:
- Citrus Fruits: Citrus fruits may be delicious and packed with Vitamin C, but they’re also packed with acids that eat away at tooth enamel. Overexposure to citrus fruit can weaken the enamel and leave the teeth vulnerable to bacteria and cavities.
- Potato Chips: Crunchy snacks like potato chips are free of sugars and most acids, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe. Unfortunately, the carbohydrates in starchy snacks break down into sugars, which combine with bacteria to produce acids that attack tooth enamel. Plus, potato chips can stick themselves to the teeth after chewing, allowing them to sit on the tooth for a long time and slowly corrode the enamel.
- Pickles: Pickled cucumbers may seem like a relatively healthy snack for kids that like them, but the vinegar can cause problems. Vinegar is acidic and has a low pH of 2.4, which means it breaks down the enamel in the same way as citrus.
- Popcorn: While popcorn isn’t bad for the teeth offhand, it can cause a problem later on. When popcorn shells get lodged between the teeth and under the gums, they can trigger an infection of the gums and a host of other problems.
Contact Your Savannah, GA Kids Dentist
All of these foods pose a risk to your child’s healthy smile, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely off-limits. What matters is to ensure your child consumes foods like this in moderation, and to always practice good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing regularly. We wish you luck in maintaining a tooth-friendly diet for your child, and if you still have questions, feel free to contact us to learn more about pediatric dental health. We can’t wait to hear from you!