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‘Mommy? Can I have a snack?’
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Posted on Feb 23 2009
[B]By TWYLA SEATON, RDH, BS[/B]
[I]Special to the Saipan Tribune[/I]
[I]Editor’s Note: Twyla Seaton is a dental hygienist at the Saipan Seventh Day Adventist Clinic.[/I]
Many people do not realize that there is any correlation between snacking and tooth health. Research has shown that snacking can significantly increase the risk for tooth decay especially foods that are high in sugar content and starch. Children are a lot of times more susceptible to tooth decay than adults because they do not have adequate home care, so snacking increases their risk even more.
There are foods/drinks that are more likely to cause to tooth decay and they are:
-Candies
-White bread (due to its sticky texture, it sticks to the teeth more readily)
-Sports drinks
-Fruit juices
-Soda pop
When these foods/drinks are eaten between meals, they are more likely to cause tooth decay. When we eat and drink, our saliva is activated to help digest the food or drink. The saliva is acidic and remains in this state until 20 minutes after eating/drinking. After this time period, the saliva returns to a non-acidic state. During the 20 minute acidic state, the teeth are more susceptible to cavities. This is the reason why it is so important not to eat or drink between meals. The only liquid that we should drink between meals is water. Fruit juices, soda pop, and the like should only be drunk during meals so as not to keep the mouth in an acidic state.
There are foods that are extremely good for our teeth and they are as follows:
-Vegetables (i.e. lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, bitter melon, eggplant, green beans, okra, squash, pumpkin, etc)
-Fruits (i.e. apples, bananas, pineapple, breadfruit, papaya, mango, etc)
-Wheat/multi-grain bread
-Legumes (i.e. lentils, kidney beans, navy beans, black beans, etc)
-Brown rice
These are all healthy foods that not only make our teeth stronger, but our bodies healthier as well. How about giving our kids something to smile about and give them foods that make their teeth healthy and strong?
