HOLIDAY SNACKING
HAVE YOUR CHILDREN BE SMART SNACKERS
Holidays mean friends, gifts, cookies, and candies. Holiday food and treats are usually the most delicious of the year. Do you worry about your children's teeth? A little concern mixed with some preventive knowledge is the correct cavity prevention recipe.
At holiday parties do you encourage our chld to fill a plate at the snack table and eat everything at once lke a meal or do you allow them to snack intermittently throughout the party? Does it affect your child's cental health? Here is the answer:
The presence of sugar stimulates cavity-causing bacteria. The amount of sugar has no bearing on bacteria production. Natural sugar is equally as gulty as refined sugar. Fruits, vegetables, and most healthy foods contain nautural sugar. The good news is that it is not so much what your children eat but how often they snack. The frequency, or how often your child snacks, may be more important than what your child eats. The more frequent, the more acid production. Of course some foods are better for the teeth and body than orthers. Every time our child eats, the teeth are subjected to a 20 minute acid attack. The foods which take longer to clear the mouth have more time to creat havoc. A special point of brushing with a fluoride tooth paste and flossing after eating will alleviate the harm.
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry