Three tips to keep your child’s teeth healthy while snacking

A healthy diet matters for your child and their teeth. In addition to what your child eats, how and how often they eat is important, too. Emily Hahn, DDS, a pediatric dentist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, offers three snack-sized pieces of information to keep your kiddo’s teeth healthy.
Frequent snacking and sipping leads to more cavities in children. Kids who are frequent snackers and sippers are the ones who get the most cavities, particularly in between their teeth.
Fruit can be a healthy snack. However, most fruits are acidic, so how kids eat them matters. Snack time should be brief. It’s better to eat and be done rather than graze for two hours.
Create a snack time with a time limit. When time is up, put the snack away whether your child has finished or not. Offer them plain water, not flavored water, if they’re thirsty.
Our mouths need breaks from food and juices to stay healthy. Instead of frequent snacking and sipping, allow the mouth to neutralize and drink plenty of plain water.
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The St. Louis Children’s Hospital KZbin station is intended as a reference and information source only. If you suspect you have a health problem, you should seek immediate care with the appropriate health care professionals. The information on this website is not a substitute for professional care, and must not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. For help finding a doctor, St. Louis Children's Hospital Answer Line may be of assistance at 314.454.KIDS (5437). The opinions expressed in these videos are those of the individual writers, not necessarily St. Louis Children's Hospital or Washington University School of Medicine. BJC HealthCare and Washington University School of Medicine assume no liability for the information contained in this website or for its use.