When it comes to your child’s dental health, proper nutrition is as important as brushing or flossing! What’s more, instilling healthy dietary habits early will help ensure your youngster carries them into adulthood, something that is essential for maintaining dental health as well as general wellbeing.

What’s more, ensuring your child eats food that is good for their smile isn’t too difficult, as you only have to follow simple-yet-vital tips for providing proper nutrition.

These tips include:

1. Keep the fruit & veg coming

This is a no-brainer, especially when we all grew up being encouraged to “eat our vegetables”. But, the best childrens dentist Sydney has will always encourage that your kids eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg to keep maintain their oral hygiene and remove any dental bacteria that arises.

2. Dairy should also be on the menu

Dairy products are essential to assisting with oral growth and hygiene, not to mention helping the muscles, nerves and heart function. Along with milk, cheese and yoghurt, certain dark leafy greens and calcium-rich orange juice can also be enjoyed if your child has an allergy or simply doesn’t like milk (as many don’t!).

3. Don’t always opt for naughty snacks

Kids love naughty snacks and this is so fine. We probably all enjoyed our fair share of Tim Tams growing up, but there should also be healthy alternatives in the mix, too! This is because gummy and sticky foods can increase the chances of tooth decay, as they can get stuck in the teeth and thus become harder to clean or wash away.

So, whilst your little one might scoff at the idea of after-dinner fruit, it is a necessary evil to the alternative of always eating chocolate or lollies!

4. Keep the soft & sports drinks to a minimum

Along with naughty snacks, kids often can’t resist a cold can of cola or sugary sports drink after playing sports at their local club. Unfortunately, these drinks are typically very unhealthy, and can lead to childhood obesity. What’s more, the sugar found in these drinks can cause dental health problems, ensuring they are really one of the worst things for your youngster’s dental health as well as their general wellbeing.

So, it is always a good idea to limit the amount of soft drinks, sports drinks and sugary juices that your child drinks - it makes a huge difference - trust a dentist!

5. Opt for lollies without sugar

There are numerous sugar-free lollies available on the market, meaning you don’t have to go for the sweetest treat in the store just because your child really wants that treat. Many sugar-free lollies contain Xylitol, a natural sweetener that comes from plants. It helps maintain a neutral pH level in the mouth whilst protecting teeth from decay through bacterial prevention.

As such, it is generally recommended that you choose sugar free treats instead of those that are absolutely packed with sugar.

Instilling healthy habits for your child’s diet

One of the best ways to help kids learn about nutritious, healthy eating is through bringing them into the kitchen when you are making these healthy foods. Making cooking fun is an awesome way to not only teach them about nutritious eating, but it also helps them see the greater benefits in it, as opposed to just sitting back waiting for dinner to be over so they can get tucked into some ice cream!