Keeping Teeth Healthy

When we think about tooth decay in children we always think that they must have eaten too much chocolate or they drink sugary drinks all day. These are definitely to blame for a lot of tooth extractions in children but it's not the only cause.

Fruits and other sugary foods create acid in our mouths that can eat away at our tooth enamel so even if you think you are doing the right thing by giving your little ones lots of fruits you do need to be careful.

We've put together a few extra tips to help you keep yours and your little ones teeth healthy, It's never to early or too late to start taking extra care of your teeth:

• Drink water after snacks and meals to wash away acids and crumbs that are stuck in teeth.
• Serve smaller portions of high sugar fruits with lower sugar fruits and veg to reduce the overall sugar content of snacks. swap a larger apple for a little one and add some cucumber or chop a banana in half and serve with some strawberries.

• Avoid grazing on fruit for extended periods.
• When making smoothies combine the high sugar fruits such as Banana, apple, Mango with fruits containing lower levels of fruits sugars such as strawberries, blueberries, avocado and vegetables such as carrot, spinach and cucumber.
• If serving cheese, think about giving it as a dessert rather than part of the meal. Cheese (particularly aged cheese) can help to reduce the acidity in our mouths.
• Eating raw carrot sticks can help protect teeth. Vitamin A in them helps strengthen enamel and the extra chewing produces saliva which helps to cleans the mouth. A bit like chewing gum but healthier.
• Clean teeth twice a day. Avoid cleaning teeth straight after eating sugary foods or eating high sugar fruits. Brushing whilst mouths are full of acids will cause the enamel to get worn away. Drink water before brushing.
• Drink lots of water throughout the day and limit sugary or fruity drinks to meal times. avoid extended sipping of these drinks. It's better to drink them in one sitting and then have some water to sip on throughout the day.

It's heart breaking to see so many children having to have teeth removed as young as 3 but by following these tips as well as ensuring that teeth are well cleaned you should all have healthy teeth and gorgeous smiles for longer.

check out our fruit sugar table to help you work out which fruits contain the most and least sugar or head to our shop to browse our product range. Everything we make is BPA free, freezer safe and Dishwasher safe....and guaranteed to get your little ones eating healhy snacks.