Which foods cause tooth decay?

Your child's diet is one of the most important factors in developing dental decay and small changes can make a big difference. 

In the previous blog post we looked at how foods containing sugar combine with bacteria in plaque to produce acid. If the teeth are subjected to frequent or long periods of acid attack, decay becomes likely to occur.

Most people are aware that children who eat too many sweets and candies are likely to get cavities. However, any foods that are are high in refined carbohydrates (starch), such as crackers and chips, can cause decay if the foods remain stuck to the teeth for long periods of time, as the starch breaks down into sugar. In fact, one good way to determine if a snack is good for a child is to check their teeth 20 minutes after consumption. If the teeth are still filled with food, the risk for dental decay will be higher. These foods should be eaten only rarely and teeth should be brushed afterwards.

There are a lot of "hidden sugars" in processed food. If you read the ingredients, they may be labelled as sucrose, glucose, lactose, or fructose - these are all types of sugar. In addition to containing high levels of sugar, many children's breakfast cereals also stick onto the teeth. Even diet soda drinks and concentrated fruit juices can cause decay as they are acidic.

It is not realistic to ban your child from eating sweets. altogether. Instead, limit consumption of sweets and candy to maximum of once a day, preferably at the end of a meal. Those treats that dissolve and clear from the mouth quickly eg. a milk chocolate bar, are better than hard candies, lollipops or sticky caramels. Sweets should be eaten in one go, rather than continually snacking on them.

Children do get hungry and need to snack. Choose healthy snacks such as fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, cheese. For drinks in between meals go for water or milk without added sugar.

What causes dental cavities?

When you consume any food or drink containing carbohydrate, or sugar, the bacteria in the plaque on your teeth metabolise it, producing an acid attack which lasts for at least 20 minutes. The acid dissolves the outer surface layer of the teeth (enamel).

The acid attack will be much longer if the food remains stuck onto the teeth, or if snacking continues over a period of time, eg. eating a bag of sweets one by one, or continuously licking a lollipop. Also, If babies or toddlers fall asleep with a bottle, or whilst nursing, the milk will remain on their teeth for a longer period of time.

If food and drinks containing sugar are limited to mealtimes, with sugar free snacks and drinks in between, the teeth can recover from these short periods of acid attacks. In the early stages of decay (before a cavity is formed), the enamel can repair itself by taking in minerals from saliva. Fluoride also helps to strengthen the enamel in this process.

However, with frequent snacks and drinks containing sugar, cavities become much more likely to occur.

Once the enamel layer crumbles, a cavity is formed, bacteria enter and the decay process spreads rapidly.

To prevent dental decay, the aim should be to reduce the amount of time that any food containing sugar is present in the mouth. Drinking water or rinsing after eating can help. Try to make snacks and drinks, between meals, sugar free as far as possible. 

 

Regular, thorough brushing to remove plaque build-up from the teeth will also help but, as it is not possible to prevent plaque from building up again after brushing, diet is of extreme importance in preventing cavities.

Early Childhood Caries

Is Your Child at Risk for Early Childhood Tooth Decay?

The average healthy adult visits the dentist twice a year. The average healthy 2-year-old has never been to the dentist. By kindergarten, 75 percent of children have never seen a dentist, yet dental decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease.

The culprit? A combination of misinformation about when a child should first visit the dentist, when a parent should start caring for a child's teeth and the frequent and long-term exposure of sugary liquids to a child's teeth. 


A child should first visit the dentist six months after the eruption of the first tooth. During this first exam, the dentist can teach parents the best way to guard against early childhood tooth decay by wiping down the teeth with a damp cloth after every feeding and remind parents to limit sugary beverages.

Frequent and long-term exposure of a child's teeth to sugary liquids is commonly called baby bottle tooth decay. Most parents are aware of baby bottle tooth decay but may not know that the long-term and regular consumption of sugary liquids in a bottle or cup puts children's growing teeth at increased risk for decay.

Unsweetened fruit juices and water are best for children to help promote oral and overall health. Fruit juice causes tooth decay if children are allowed to hold a bottle, cup or box of juice in their mouth through the day. If left untreated, baby bottle tooth decay can result in pain and infection. Baby teeth are important because they hold the place for permanent teeth and help guide them into correct position. Severely decayed teeth may need to be extracted, which could effect the development of permanent teeth, speech and chewing.

Caring for children's teeth beginning in infancy promotes good oral health care habits for a lifetime and increases the chances of a child maintaining healthy permanent teeth.

Tips for parents to decrease the risk of early childhood tooth decay:
• Wean a child from the bottle or breast by age 1.
• Use spill-proof cups as a transitional step in the development of children, not a long-term solution.
• Don't allow children to use spill-proof cups throughout the day. Save spill-proof cups for snack and mealtimes when increased salivary activity helps clean teeth.
• Drink sugary beverages through a straw. The best spill-proof cups to protect against decay are those with collapsible rubber straws.
• Introduce oral health care habits early.
• Wipe baby's gums with a damp cloth after every feeding.
• Introduce brushing with a soft-bristle brush and water when the first tooth appears.
• Parents can add a pea-sized dab of fluoridated toothpaste to the toothbrush by age 2