Grocery Guide for Healthier Teeth in Johns Creek, Georgia

Grocery store isle

There is so much material out there that talks about what foods are good for you child’s teeth, but we wanted to take it a step further and provide a guide on where to buy these foods. With so many stores, both in person and online, and so much advice given, we feel that many people are overwhelmed when it comes to selecting the right food.

The following guide provides recommendations as a Johns Creek pediatric dental practice but also provides local Johns Creek stores where you can find these foods.

Cheese

Now not all cheese is created the same and we’re not telling you to go out and buy the most expensive cheese out there. There are also bad cheeses that you don’t want to get. These include:

  • Pre-packaged cheese dips
  • American cheese
  • Cheese sprays

So this means those cracker snacks that have cheese for your child to spread are not great. Crackers that have those cheese fillings are also not good. The popular American cheese used for most sandwiches are also not a great option for your child.

Delta Dental recommends certain cheeses that are good for your teeth:

  • Cheddar
  • Monterey Jack
  • Brie
  • Camembert
  • Gorgonzola
  • Roquefort

If your looking for these cheese, the Whole Foods on State Bridge has a dedicated cheese department where you can go shop at your cheesy delight. They have over 250 different cheese options so all you’ll have to do is find the brand and type you like that matches what we have above.

You can also go to the Johns Creek location for Sprouts or the Kroger on Holcomb Bridge, which both have a selection of cheeses, though not as replete as the dedicated cheese department of Whole Foods.

If your feeling extremely fancy and you want a real cheese experience, you can hop over into Alpharetta and you can visit Cheeses & Mary. They literally have cheese in their name and also have a tab on their website dedicated to their partnership with Cheese Makers.

Yogurt

Yogurt is also a great food for your teeth and gums. It is high in calcium and protein, which will help strengthen your teeth. The best options for yogurt are the plain options with no added sugar. Greek yogurt is also a great option!

When it comes to understanding what yogurt to choose, it can be hard to tell at times as yogurt naturally has sugar and there actually may have no sugar actually added.

To determine whether yogurt has added sugar we found two articles that do a great job explaining how to do so. AICR Health Talk gives a brief explanation on how you could tell how much added sugar there is while Katherine Isacks from MyNetDiary goes further and actually give examples of yogurt with lots of added sugar and those who don’t have any.

If you don’t want to do math and just want a quick way to know what yogurt to get, just stick with plain unflavored yogurt. This goes for both regular or Greek yogurt.

Yogurt is really common amongst most stores, you’ll even find them at your nearest convenience store. However, what we have found is that most of these convenience stores really only have the sugary yogurt.

You’ll have to go to a grocery store that has a larger yogurt selection. The Kroger in Johns Creek has many of the Yogurts listed in the MyNetDiary post and has different options for plain yogurt with no added sugar.

Apples, Broccoli and Leafy Greens


Often known as super foods apples and broccoli are amazing foods for your teeth. As opposed to other fruits that can be high with sugar, apples actually have fibrous content that act almost like a toothbrush and scrub away at plaque. Not to mention, apples help combat bad breath and give you a boost.

Broccoli, carrots and other leafy greens are great options as they are high in fiber and full of vitamins. The calcium in these foods help strengthen the enamel in your child’s teeth. Of course, we all know that these foods are healthy for us, the battle is getting your children to eat these foods.

What we use to encourage parents to do was to take their kids to farmers markets. Johns Creek used to host farmers markets where vendors would sell produce and other items. This was a great experience for the family as it made the experience more intimate and you knew you were helping local vendors.

However as of 2018, Johns Creek has decided to not host any farmers market until further notice.

We’re big fans of farmer markets as the fruit is fresh and locally sourced, in addition, we just love helping other small business owners in the area. For Farmers markets you can also go to the one that Alpharetta hosts downtown.

Farmers markets don’t have very convenient hours so of course you can go to your local grocery store and visit the produce section.

Almonds and Nuts

Almonds and nuts are great for your teeth as they are high in protein and calcium. They are often a recommended snack for those who are working out or trying to better their diet. You have to be careful with nuts as they can easily go overboard.

Nuts can have lots of salt, be glazed with sugar and they themselves are high in fat if you have too much. So we encourage nuts be used as a snack, rather than something that your kids munch on all day.

The great thing about nuts is that they are fun to shop for. Growing up, most people are just use to the boring containers of nuts that they are used to, but more and more stores are available that let you customize and pick your own combination of nuts.

Here in John’s Creek we’ve been unable to find a store that solely sells nuts or a local business that specializes in this. We’re sure that there must be some entrepreneur or family who is selling it but at this point we haven’t found one.

We have the Golden Peanut who has their corporate headquarters in Alpharetta, but you can’t go into their facility to be buying peanuts.

The best experience for buying peanuts is at the Sprouts in the Johns Creek Towne Center. Sprouts has an entire section with bins and bins of different nuts cut in different ways. You won’t even realize how wide of a variety there are of peanuts and beans that exist.

Green and Black Tea

Unsweetened tea have substances that can combat bacteria that form plaque. In addition, because of Johns Creek’s fluoridated water, the tea that is brewed will have fluoride in it. It’s really easy to be tricked with tea. Many restaurants and fast food shops put loads of sugar into their tea.

However, if you have unsweetened green or black tea, it can be a nice alternative to water and coffee. Coffee stains your teeth and also is not a drink that is appropriate for younger children.

There are tea options around Johns Creek, including Greatea located right off 141. However, like we mentioned before, the recipes for drinks often include syrup or sugar added. You’ll have to ask these stores to put no sugar or very light sugar. Most drink stores can accommodate this no problem, so you don’t have to feel like a bother to ask.

Also we wanted to mention Olivia’s Dollhouse Tea Room on Abbots Bridge. It’s not a place you go to when you need a quick cup of tea before work, but rather gives the quintessential tea party experience that many young girls want to have.

It’s an amazing concept and since we’re a pediatric dentist team that works with kids every day, we love to see other businesses who commit to giving kids the best experience possible.

John’s Creek Water – Fluoridated at Optimal Levels

When it comes to deciding between what to drink, always go for water. Instead of juice and soda, you can never go wrong with choosing water. And because of Fulton county’s efforts, the water of Johns Creek is fluoridated. That means that the water actually has fluoride that will strengthen your children’s teeth!

The best part is too that John’s Creek fluoride levels in the water fall almost exactly at the Department of Health and Human Services recommendation. The U.S. Public Health Service’s recommendation is that the ratio of fluoride to water is at 0.7 parts per million (ppm).

This number was decided on by using scientifically rigorous analysis of the amount of fluoride people receive from different sources of water. The American Dental Association also published an official report commending the recommendation.

Fulton county publishes an annual Water Quality Report and in the report they announce that the range detected of fluoride was 0.68-0.71 ppm.

So this is even more incentive to encourage your children to keep drinking water over juice and soda!