We all have been taught that tobacco, cola’s, and coffee cause discoloration of our teeth. But what happens when your kids have never had any of those, and their teeth are yellowing- and getting worse each year? I remember a few years back when we were at our dentist office. I heard one of the other moms ask the hygienist to include the whitening treatment while she was cleaning her kid’s teeth. My ears perked up, and I wanted to yell- Me too!! Can you do that for my kids too? I was too embarrassed to ask about it at the time, but decided instead to see if we can do something on our own, that was more natural.
Whether your kids got their yellowing smile from medications, foods, disease, or even dear old dad, there are some foods you can use to encourage teeth to return to their bright white, healthy looking state!
Carrots and strawberries– while it’s contrary to instinct, these deep colorful foods actually help to whiten teeth. Fruits and veggies like these trigger and extra-ordinary saliva response when consumed. The extra saliva goes through, cleaning off the surfaces of your teeth. The crunchy veggies, like carrots have the right amount of abrasion to assist as well. Make sure to send carrots to school in your kids lunches, and serve strawberries for breakfast on top of their cereal or pancakes!
Pineapple-An enzyme found specifically in pineapple can actually remove stains. The enzyme, named Bromelin, is responsible for stain fighting. A great place to add pineapple is in smoothies! Bromelin is found in fresh pineapple, as well as frozen and canned.
Basil– Reducing mouth bacteria can help to whiten things up and basil is the guy that can do it! Basil has anti-bacterial properties that can fight the bacteria causing problems on teeth and gums. Try adding basil to tomato sauces, pizzas, and pestos.
Cheese– Enamel that has corroded, leaving kids teeth more susceptible to stains, can actually be rebuilt and strengthened! Adding calcium to your diet will not only repair teeth, but will also offer them more protection. Serve kids a square of cheese on sandwiches or eggs.
Baking Soda- It counts as a food, right? While eating baking soda in the form of cookies isn’t going to do anything to whiten kids teeth, using a little baking soda paste on their toothbrushes can!
So, now we know. While food can cause discoloring of kids teeth, food can also help protect and whiten! See what whitening foods your kids enjoy and make sure they make a debut in their daily diet today. As for us, I started making my kids brush for the full 2 minutes to make sure all of the plaque get’s scrubbed each night. But they also are better about adding crunchy vegetables to their lunches, and we’re really seeing a difference!
