Kids keep their teeth healthiest with brushing, flossing and regular trips to the dentist. Brushing and flossing at least twice a day works best, Kids Health notes, while an additional brushing after meals or snacks works even better. Bacteria starts attacking teeth immediately after eating and continues to do so for the next 20 minutes. Another strategy is offering your kid snacks that are not only nutritious but lead to healthier teeth, such as sunflower seeds.
Teeth Cleaning
Eating sunflower seeds will never take the place of your child's regular brushing and flossing routine, but it can help clean his teeth. Because of the seed's rough texture, they end up scraping some plaque off the tooth's surface, notes Astro Nutrition, which lists the seeds as one of the top five foods for healthy teeth. Sunflower seeds also work to fight bad breath and bacteria, the latter of which leads to tooth decay.
Nutrients
Some of the seeds' nutrients, namely calcium and potassium, also benefit your child's teeth, AOL Health says. A 1 ounce portion of sunflower seeds contains 19.6 mg of calcium and 238 mg of potassium, Nutrition Data notes. That same portion of sunflower seeds also packs 5.4 g of protein and 7 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of which are fiber. Even salted seeds are not excruciatingly high in sodium, with only 115 mg for the one-ounce serving. Sunflower seeds also contain a healthy dose of vitamin E, selenium, manganese, phosphorus, copper and pahtothenic acid. The 14 g of fat for the 1 ounce serving is a bit on the high side, so make sure your child eats the seeds in moderation.
Snack Substitute
If your child is busy snacking on sunflower seeds, that means she won't be busy eating other less- healthy snacks. Many of these snacks can rot teeth due to their sticky texture or high-sugar content, either from added sugar or natural sugars from their carbohydrate content. Candy, crackers, fruit rollups, cookies are a few examples of snacks that would be better off switched to sunflower seeds.
Similar Options
If sunflower seeds aren't your child's favorite snacking option, similar snacks offer the same or similar benefits. Nuts, pumpkin seeds, celery, broccoli, carrots and other raw vegetables or crispy fruits, such as apples, help to clean the teeth and provide a number of nutrients, Astro Nutrition and Colgate Professional note.
Considerations
Before you hand out handfuls of sunflower seeds, Kids Health says to make sure your children are old enough to understand how to eat them. Sunflower seeds pose a choking hazard for younger children and should never be given to any child under age 4. Shelled seeds are the easiest to eat, especially for children, and they still provide the teeth and health benefits without the additional hazard of choking on or swallowing the shell.
