As you may well know, being a parent is extremely rewarding. Sure, you might lose sleep but you probably slept enough in your younger years. You get to raise your children and have fun with them as they grow into responsible adults. Even the arguments can be fun because you both can learn and grow from them. One of the trickiest parts of being a parent is raising kids who know the importance of proper dental hygiene.

As long as you’re taking your kids to quality pediatric dentists on a regular basis, and are encouraging frequent brushing and flossing, your kids should end up having very healthy teeth. Even when your children do visit pediatric dentists, if they are constantly chowing down on unhealthy foods and drinking unhealthy beverages, their teeth could end up damaged or destroyed.

As much as sports drinks are harmful to your kids’ teeth, researchers found that exposure to energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull resulted in twice as much enamel loss as exposure to drinks like Powerade and Gatorade. Here are some dangerous snacks that you should avoid buying (at least buying in bulk) in order to protect your children’s precious, pearly whites.

Any food or drink that is covered in sugar
This is quite obvious, but it’s extremely common for parents to buy these sugary products just to appease to their kids. These marketing professionals know what they’re doing: they are creating ad campaigns that teach kids to love sugar. It’s your job to teach your kids to avoid these unhealthy snacks and drinks and protect their teeth.

Any food or drink that has too much citric acid
Parents love to buy snacks and juices that are loaded with citrus. These treats are tasty and they even seem like they are healthy because of the appearance that there is fruit in them. The only problem, however, is that there is little actual fruit in these products, and all the citric acid can cause severe damage to your children’s teeth. Frequent exposure to acidic foods and beverages can result in serious tooth decay. The citric acid can erode enamel and lead to damaged and decayed teeth over time. Even something as little as squeezing some lemon or lime into water can worsen your child’s teeth. In addition to ruining the tooth enamel, citric acid can also irritate any sores in the mouth.

Sticky snacks (yes, that includes dried fruit)
Unfortunately, even though dried fruit is a popular snack choice for people who are trying to eat healthier, they still aren’t the best option. A lot of dried fruits are sticky and they can damage teeth because they stick to them for extended periods of time. If your kids do snack on dried fruits, be sure to give them lots of water in between.

Don’t let your kids eat too much of these unhealthy snacks. If you want to learn more about protecting your children’s teeth or find experienced pediatric dentists, contact Smilez Pediatric Dental Group today.