Summer is ending now, meaning it’s nearly time for children to return to school. As a parent, you’re probably helping your kids get supplies, learn class schedules, and adjust to a non-summer vacation schedule. However, you might want to add school lunches to this priority list. As it turns out, these meals could raise your youngster’s risk of developing cavities. That said, you’ll want to ensure they eat mouth-healthy items instead. Here’s a summary of how school lunches can hurt your child’s oral health and things that’d let them avoid that outcome.
Some School Lunches Hurt Oral Health
If you’re not careful, your kids might eat something that hurts their teeth at school. To prove it, consider these cafeteria and sack lunch items.
Cafeteria Lunches
School-provided cafeteria lunches can be convenient, especially for families with busy schedules. Still, some of these foods can damage teeth, like:
- Chocolate Milk: Even if it has calcium and vitamin D, chocolate milk has more sugar than its plain alternative. That being the case, kids should limit how often they have it for school meals.
- Canned Fruit: Canned fruits contain natural sugars and enamel-weakening acids. Tell your young ones to pick fresh fruit over the canned variety whenever possible.
Sack Lunches
True enough, a sack lunch gives you more control over your children’s diet. Even so, many popular foods that hurt teeth can end up in one. Just look at:
- Juice Boxes and Pouches: Juices can cling to teeth for hours, thus worsening sugar’s enamel-eroding effect.
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches: Be careful of which bread, jam, and nut butter you use for this classic sandwich. Some brands are very sugary, leading to tooth decay when they cling to the mouth’s back areas.
Foods for a Mouth-Healthy Lunch
Fortunately, you can avoid cavity-causing lunches by having your kids eat mouth-healthy foods at school. For example, use whole grain bread instead of the white variety in your child’s sandwiches. Likewise, crisp apples or carrot sticks are an excellent alternative to processed potato chips — they even wipe away dental plaque when chewed! You could also have your student drink tap water instead of juice, especially since the former has tooth-strengthening fluoride.
As you can see, it pays to be careful of lunches during the back-to-school season. Therefore, ensure your kids eat good stuff so their smiles stay safe this semester.
About the Practice
Brown, Reynolds, Snow, LeNoir Dentistry is based in Richmond, VA. Led by a team of five excellent dentists, the practice emphasizes various dental services for all ages. As such, its team offers preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, as well as emergency smile procedures. Staff also provide excellent children’s dentistry for the community’s families. For more information or to book an appointment, you can reach them at their website or by phone at (804)-288-5324.