Try new tooth-friendly treats.

Now that the weather is heating up, you’re probably wondering what kinds of healthy, tooth-friendly treats will be cool with the kids now that they are home all day. To help keep your child’s dental health in check, there are tooth-friendly (and healthy!) snacks you can give them without feeling guilty. Below are some of the recommendations of the Staley Dental staff.

Homemade Fruit Popsicles

A summer staple is the popsicle, but there are two problems with the ones you buy at the store—not everyone enjoys the flavors in the variety pack, and the popsicles found in stores can be loaded with unnecessary sugars, which are bad for the teeth. So what is the solution? Making them at home!

Making popsicles at home is simple. Popsicle molds can be found at a dollar store. Add fresh fruit to some coconut water, and then pop into the freezer until they are ready, which is usually a few hours. This way, everyone can choose their favorite fruit! Just dice it up into small pieces, and then place them in the mold. Let your children have fun creating custom flavors like blueberry and strawberry, or mango and cherry with a dash of lime. The possibilities are endless, and they taste delicious!

Greek Yogurt Parfaits

Children love being able to create their own treats, so let their creativity run wild with a healthy Greek yogurt parfait with assorted nuts and berries. They are easy to assemble too. Just make a layer of fruit, spoon over a layer of Greek yogurt, add some nuts for crunch, and then repeat until your glass is full.

All of the ingredients in these parfaits are healthy choices. Greek yogurt is a great source of probiotics, as well as calcium. Calcium is great for healthy bones and teeth. Fruit is a good source of various vitamins, depending on which type fruit is used. Citrus fruits are full of Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium to make bones and teeth stronger. The nuts that can be used for crunch are full of healthy fats and protein. Nuts can also stimulate saliva production as you chew them, which helps to clean teeth and keep the pH in your mouth balanced.

Cheese and Crackers

Cheese is a good source of calcium, which is the building block of bones and teeth, so choosing a fat-free cheddar or monterey jack is a great snack for kids. Cheese also helps stimulate saliva production, just like nuts. Cheese and nuts are great snacks for kids and adults alike—great to snack on throughout the day. However, if you are looking for something else that is crunchy, pair cheese slices with whole grain crackers. Grains are high in fiber, which is an important element when it comes to healthy digestion.

Veggies and Hummus

Hummus is all the rage as a healthy snack because it is made from chickpeas, which are high in protein and contain no saturated fats. Hummus also has many other vitamins and nutrients, like folic acid, which helps promote cell growth. When paired with cucumbers, hummus can act as a natural tooth whitening agent.

Veggies are a great vehicle for eating hummus, especially crunchy vegetables like carrots and celery. Those crunchy vegetables can act as nature’s toothbrushes. The fibers of the vegetables help to brush away bacteria and food particles that can be left lingering on teeth.

Smoothies

If you have picky children, and each one likes different flavors, smoothies are a great choice for customization and healthy choices. The great thing about a smoothie is that it can be created with any combination of leafy greens, nuts, fruits, and seeds. All of these ingredients can be blended together to create different types of flavor bombs. It’s also a great way to hide some veggies your kids might not eat on their own because they are blended with other flavors.

Depending on what you add to your smoothie, the types of vitamins and minerals that you intake will vary.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is to use a straw if you are going to be sipping on your smoothie. This will limit the contact of food with your teeth and can limit staining from fruits and veggies that are rich in tannins or bright in color, like berries.

Visit Staley Dental For Preventative Care

One more thing you can do with your child over the summer is visit Staley Dental in Boise, Idaho, for a biannual dental evaluation. A dental evaluation every six months is important for great dental health. The Staley Dental team can catch any dental issues before they become big problems. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.