All sugar-containing snacks are not equal. We see a lot more damage from our top three tooth “trouble-makers” including gummies, juice and candy. With more knowledge, parents and grandparents can make better, more informed choices for children’s snacks and reduce your child’s risk for tooth decay.
Trouble-Maker #1: GUMMIES!
We see much higher rates of decay in kids that eat gummies, even if they are organic fruit gummies. It is very difficult to brush away all the sugary gummy snack or gummy vitamin left in the grooves of the teeth. Even after brushing, the sugary gummy snack stays in the grooves of the teeth and feeds the bacteria, which produces acid and starts to cause decay.
We recommend considering a sugar-free gummy or, at the least, doing a thorough brushing after the gummy is consumed. If you need to use gummy vitamins and you don’t want to use sugar-free varieties, consider giving the gummy vitamin first, before the child eats breakfast. The chewing of food during breakfast can help displace some of the sticky gummy residue from the teeth.
Trouble-Maker #2: JUICE!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a maximum of four ounces of juice a day for children over 12 months old. That is the size of a small juice box. They recommend NO JUICE at all for children under 12 months of age because it offers no nutritional benefit at all. Even though juice may be marketed as a healthy choice for kids, it offers more sugar and more calories than fresh fruits.
We see much higher rates of tooth decay in kids who have access to juice and especially high rates of tooth decay in kids who have frequent exposure to juice throughout the day. Frequent sipping on juice exposes the teeth to constant acid attacks from the sugar-consuming bacteria in the mouth. Even healthy enamel has a hard time withstanding frequent acid attacks from sugary juice. This is a recipe for disastrous cavities when the child has weak enamel or “soft teeth.” Instead of juice, consider water or zero-calorie flavored water.
Trouble-Maker #3: CANDY
Many parents understand that frequent candy consumption will increase their child’s risk for cavities. But new parents may not yet be aware of how much candy kids are exposed to from other sources. Grandparents, schools and babysitters can all be sources of additional cavity-causing candy. I experienced this first-hand with my first-born child. I tried so hard to limit his exposure to candy and sugar at home, but when he went to visit his Nana and Papa in New York he became a fan of Fruit Loops and sugar paper-peel off “Dots.” It was only after a lot of explaining that I got my own parents to understand their effort to “make up” for his low-sugar consumption at home was increasing his risk for cavities.
There are different levels of cavity risk with different types of sugary snacks. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups and yogurt-raisins have the consistency that gets stuck in the grooves and pits in teeth. Other snacks like Jell-O, pudding and yogurt may have just as much sugar but will not get stuck as easily. Even kids who brush their teeth twice a day are still at risk for cavities because sticky snacks are very difficult and sometimes impossible to brush away.
Your child’s dentist can help you identify your child’s specific risk factors for cavities including these top trouble-makers. Additionally, some children are at an even greater risk for tooth decay if they have a family history of being prone to cavities and early tooth loss in the family.
By understanding more about the risk factors for cavities, you can help reduce your child’s risk for tooth decay. By working together with your child’s dentist, you can develop a specific plan for cavity prevention and help your child achieve a lifetime of healthy smiles!
-submitted by Dr. Mandy Ashley and Dr. Madison Galloway
About the Authors: Dr. Mandy Ashley and Dr. Madison Galloway are Board Certified Pediatric Dentists proud to serve the communities of Bowling Green, Hopkinsville and Glasgow! We look forward to sharing our vision of excellent comprehensive dental care that is fun for children and people with special healthcare needs with your family.
SKY Pediatric Dentistry has been providing dental care to children and adults with special needs since 2013. As board-certified specialists in dentistry for children, our team strives to make going to the dentist as fun as possible while maintaining high-quality treatment and preventative measures. We tailor treatment plans to each child and offer a wide range of treatment options, including sedation, in-office general anesthesia and also hospital-based dentistry. With over 25 YEARS of doctor experience, SKY Pediatric Dentistry is a great choice for children’s dental care in Bowling Green, Hopkinsville and Glasgow!
