Snacks and tooth decay
Food encourages the development of tooth decay. Every time we eat, small amounts of food are left on and between the teeth, and these particles, particularly if they are starches, are broken down to acid by bacteria in your mouth. It is these acids that dissolve the outer enamel layer of the tooth and cause tooth decay.
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Carbohydrates and starches form the major food source for bacteria in the mouth. Refined sugar (sucrose) found in sweetened drinks, cakes and sweets is more easily converted to acid by bacteria than any other form of food.
It has been shown that the higher the sugar content of the food the more acid can be made by the bacteria and the greater the likelihood of tooth decay. Fruit juices can also be acidic and should be given with food, or confined to mealtimes.
Not surprisingly, sticky foods such as raisins stay on the teeth for longer, so the bacteria are given more time to convert the starches into acid. Sticky foods, therefore, give rise to more tooth decay than sweet foods that don't remain in the mouth for long, getting trapped between, or coating, the teeth.
A sticky toffee, for example, will lead to tooth decay more easily than the same amount of sugar taken in a drink. The same applies to other chewy foods.
In considering the snacks that you give your child you must consider the effect they will have on tooth decay. You can start early in your baby's life by never adding sugar to the food. Nobody needs refined sugar; the body can manage perfectly well without it, so do your children a favour and don't encourage a sweet tooth.
Another precaution you can take is to encourage your child to brush his teeth after eating any food. Ask your dentist for advice on which type of toothpaste you should use.
In addition, you can avoid ending a meal with a sweet dessert. It is much better to finish off with fruit or, better still, a piece of cheese. Cheese is alkaline and neutralizes the acid in the mouth, therefore helping to prevent tooth decay in the long term.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
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