Pediatric Dentistry Limited - Providence, Cranston, RI - Drs. Steven Lasser, Craig Elice, Fotini Dionisopoulos

Children’s dental health depends less on what they eat and more on how often they eat it. Frequency is the important concept. If a child is going to eat six chocolate cookies, it is preferable to eat these cookies all in one sitting, rather than to eat one cookie each hour for six hours straight.
The stickiness or consistency of a particular food item is another important concept. This relates to how fast a food item is cleared from the tooth surface. The most simple example is a glass of soda versus the chocolate cookies. Once the soda is swallowed, saliva is produced, and the acid attack is completed. In contrast, because the cookies remain in the grooves of the teeth for such an extended period of time, there is a potential for more harm.
About 90 percent of all foods contain sugars or starches that enable bacteria in dental plaque to produce acids. This attack by bacterial acid, lasting 20 minutes or more, can lead to loss of tooth mineral and to cavities.
Cooked starches (fermentable carbohydrates) can lead to cavities just as sugars can. In fact, such cooked starches as breads, crackers, pasta, pretzels and potato chips frequently take longer to clear the mouth than sugars. So the decay risk may last even longer.
Snacks, served no more than three or four times a day, should contribute to the overall nutrition and health of the child. Some healthy snacks are cheese, vegetables, yogurt, peanut butter and chocolate milk.
The bacteria levels in the mouth can’t tell the difference between the amount of sugar or starch in food. For example, a lick of frosting can start the same and attack as eating a whole cake.

SNACK ATTACK
What you eat and how often you eat can affect the rate of tooth decay. Sugar and starch are found in a variety of foods and drinks. For example, sugar is present in many foods, including those that are often thought of as healthy snacks, such as fruits, vegetables, milk and juice. Starches also are found in fruits and vegetables, as well as in cereal, cake, bread and in many processed foods.

Although many of these foods provide the daily nutrients a body needs, frequent between-meal snacking can be harmful. Keep in mind that hard candy, breath mints and cough drops generally stay in the mouth for long periods. During this time, teeth are continuously attacked by acids. Limiting the number of treats will reduce acid attacks.

Foods that are often eaten as part of a meal may pose less of a threat to your teeth. This is because additional saliva is produced during mealtime, which helps to neutralize acid production and clears food from the mouth. Some research indicates that certain foods, such as cheese, peanuts or sugar-free chewing gum may help to counter the effects of acid attacks.



	Children’s dental health depends less on what they eat and more on how often they eat it. Frequency is the important concept. If a child is going to eat six chocolate cookies, it is preferable to eat these cookies all in one sitting, rather than to eat one cookie each hour for six hours straight. The stickiness or consistency of a particular food item is another important concept. This relates to how fast a food item is cleared from the tooth surface. The most simple example is a glass of soda versus the chocolate cookies. Once the soda is swallowed, saliva is produced, and the acid attack is completed. In contrast, because the cookies remain in the grooves of the teeth for such an extended period of time, there is a potential for more harm. About 90 percent of all foods contain sugars or starches that enable bacteria in dental plaque to produce acids. This attack by bacterial acid, lasting 20 minutes or more, can lead to loss of tooth mineral and to cavities. Cooked starches (fermentable carbohydrates) can lead to cavities just as sugars can. In fact, such cooked starches as breads, crackers, pasta, pretzels and potato chips frequently take longer to clear the mouth than sugars. So the decay risk may last even longer. Snacks, served no more than three or four times a day, should contribute to the overall nutrition and health of the child. Some healthy snacks are cheese, vegetables, yogurt, peanut butter and chocolate milk. The bacteria levels in the mouth can’t tell the difference between the amount of sugar or starch in food. For example, a lick of frosting can start the same and attack as eating a whole cake. SNACK ATTACK What you eat and how often you eat can affect the rate of tooth decay. Sugar and starch are found in a variety of foods and drinks. For example, sugar is present in many foods, including those that are often thought of as healthy snacks, such as fruits, vegetables, milk and juice. Starches also are found in fruits and vegetables, as well as in cereal, cake, bread and in many processed foods. Although many of these foods provide the daily nutrients a body needs, frequent between-meal snacking can be harmful. Keep in mind that hard candy, breath mints and cough drops generally stay in the mouth for long periods. During this time, teeth are continuously attacked by acids. Limiting the number of treats will reduce acid attacks. Foods that are often eaten as part of a meal may pose less of a threat to your teeth. This is because additional saliva is produced during mealtime, which helps to neutralize acid production and clears food from the mouth. Some research indicates that certain foods, such as cheese, peanuts or sugar-free chewing gum may help to counter the effects of acid attacks.
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