Halloween- definitely a treat for kids but what about their teeth ?
Does Halloween with its avalanche of candy make it the worst time of the year for children’s teeth ? Not necessarily. The truth about consuming sugars is that frequency is far more important than the amount.
Candy remains a huge part of Halloween for tens of millions of American kids and their candy-buying — or candy-pilfering — parents. The National Confectioners Association says 93 percent of children in the United States go trick-or-treating, and the group estimates that Halloween candy sales this year will top $2.26 billion.
But children — and adults — are less at risk of developing tooth decay if they eat sweets — or even carbohydrate-heavy foods like potato chips and crackers — at mealtimes. This is because when we eat [at meals], the flow of saliva increases and we’re also taking in other liquids that will help wash the mouth out. But if you snack during the day, the teeth are continuously bathed in acid. “If I have four pieces of candy, and I eat all four at one time, my mouth will have acid in it for 30 to 60 minutes. If I eat one each hour, my mouth can be exposed to acid for four hours.” To avoid this parents can have their kids brush their teeth after eating candy. If that’s not possible, have them rinse their mouth with water three or four times after eating to cut down on the acidity in the mouth.
When it comes to Halloween,parents don’t need to get overly concerned about candy and their kids. Halloween will not be the make-or-break factor in whether someone will get a number of new cavities.
Source: Forbes.com
Smoothies and Juices May Do You More Harm Than Good!
The extra fruit we get from smoothies may be good for us, but it isn’t so good for our teeth, dental care experts warn.
A recent survey conducted by the British Dental Health Association revealed that 30 per cent of people think that fruit smoothies are good for their teeth. However, dentists warn that if the drinks are consumed slowly, the sugar and acid in smoothies and fruit juices can cause acid erosion of the tooth enamel.
Smoothies can be a source of fruit and people do not have to avoid drinking them.However, they should be consumed relatively quickly, or while eating food, which can help neutralize the acid in the mouth. Every time you sip on a fruit smoothie your teeth are placed under acid attack for up to an hour, so constantly sipping on these drinks can cause the protective enamel to erode, causing pain and sensitivity or it can also lead to decay.
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The Potential of Dental-Protective Chewing Gum in Oral Health Interventions
Chewing gum is being used as a delivery vehicle for substances such as calcium, bicarbonate, carbamide, chlorhexidine, fluoride and xylitol to improve oral health and reduce caries. These substances exhibit properties that are protective of the oral environment and mediate common oral diseases.
The debate for advocating xylitol use in caries prevention is advancing; however, chewing gum use by young schoolchildren in the United States is hindered by choking hazard concerns and lack of specific xylitol dosing recommendations.The authors provide an overview of chewing gum as a delivery vehicle for dental-protective agents, highlighting xylitol and its potential application in caries-prevention programs for children.
The author further states that use of chewing gum containing dental-protective substances, particularly xylitol, in caries-prevention programs can reduce the tooth decay epidemic but the use of chewing gum use by children in the school setting should be reconsidered.Source:Article by-Kiet A. Ly, Peter Milgrom, and Marilynn Rothen in the Journal of American Dental Association.
