Hi, I'm Dr. Cindy Roark, chief clinical director with Coast Dental. Today, I'm going to talk about children, food and teeth. A child's early experience with food will impact his or her future eating habits, overall health and oral health. There's no better way to teach a child about eating healthy, than by example. If you eat healthy, guess what, your kids will too. We all know that sugary snacks aren't good for kid's teeth. You may not realize that starchy foods also break down to sugars in the mouth. So, every time your child eats pizza, bread, pretzels and chips, it can have the same effect on teeth as soda, candy and cake. Our mouths are full of bacteria that form a sticky film called plaque. Plaque coats the surface of the teeth, and the bacteria in plaque turn sugars into acids. That dissolve tooth enamel and cause cavities. Consider that gooey, chewy, sweets like taffy, caramel, even raisins, spend time sticking to the surface of the teeth, bathing them in sugar. That's why it's important to brush right after eating. If brushing isn't an option, drink lots of water after eating or snacking. To flush away the food, before it can harden into cavity causing plaque. Now, what parent hasn't put a sweet or starchy treat in the lunch box, or used one as a reward. I know, I have. It's not as hard as you my think to change these unhealthy habits. Your kids are pretty flexible, especially if you involve them in making the changes. Start by gathering the family together, take an objective look at your pantry and refrigerator. Use it as a teaching moment, actually read the labels. Toss the foods and drinks that have high concentrations of any form of sugar. This includes things like sucrose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, syrup. Pay particular attention to juice labels, you might be surprised by what you find. Continue the lesson when you take the kids to the grocery store, to stock up on healthy foods and snacks. Replace the bad stuff with tasty, filling choices. Celery, apples, carrots, citrus fruits, they all help the mouth produce more saliva, which washes away bacteria, it's kind of like a detergent. Dairy items like cheese, yogurt and milk combat the acids in the mouth, which makes them really good choices. Your grocery cart can also include pumpkin and sunflower seeds, fresh fruits, nuts, whole grain crackers and buttered popcorn, sliced meats and cottage cheese too, for healthy variety. And keeping sugar-free gum and gum containing Xylitol, handy, is a great thing to do. It stimulates saliva and helps protect teeth, until kids have had time to brush and floss. Thank you for watching, I'm Dr. Cindy Roark with Coast Dental.
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