April 27, 2009
DentalProductsReport.com Exclusive
Foods that feed caries
What your patients don’t know about what
they’re putting in their mouths.
by Renee Knight
Photo: Foodcollection RF/Getty Images
Cookies and candy aren’t the only foods that can hurt your patients’ teeth, and while you and your team know this, chances are many of your patients don’t. It’s up to you to educate your patients about how what they’re eating can lead to caries.
From acidic drinks to carbohydrate-filled breads, there are plenty of foods that can lead to trouble—foods most of your patients wouldn’t expect. Here’s the rundown:
Foods filled with carbs. Pastas, breads and crackers aren’t necessarily menu items that most patients would think of as sugary, but they can still cause some damage, said Carri Cady, RDH and VP of Sales and Marketing for Oral BioTech’s CariFree. These foods breakdown into their smaller carb components of sugar, and this breakdown process begins in the mouth.
Sugary foods that seem like a healthier alternative to candy bars. Just because they seem healthier, doesn’t mean they are. Snack foods like fruit roll-ups, raisins and animal crackers can actually be more detrimental than hard candy, Cady said. Why? These sticker foods get stuck in the grooves of the teeth and stay there all day, creating a prolonged acidic attack and more exposure to available sugars than a candy bar that dissolves within minutes. The acid attacks becomes too much for the saliva to prevent and repair, according to the Oral-B Web site oralb.com. Tell your patients to avoid foods like raisins and caramels in-between meals and if they have to have them, to include them with meals instead.
Beverages that don’t contain sugar. Coffees, teas and alcohol may not feature sugar on their ingredient list, but they are very acidic and contribute to dental caries, Cady said. Diet soda can also cause problems because the carbonation in diet pop relates to carbonic acid, which can promote acidic bacteria, cause chemical erosion of the enamel and lead to increased caries risk.
Milk and fruit juices. Both contain sugar and can lead to trouble for children who fall asleep with a baby bottle or who carry a bottle around and sip on these beverages throughout the day, according to the Oral-B site. The liquid can be used by the bacteria to produce acids. This can cause baby bottle caries, Cady said, where decay occurs on the facial of upper anterior teeth because of prolonged milk exposure.
Sports drinks. While many of your active patients use these drinks during sporting events, too much can lead to cavities. Athletes who sip on sports drinks even when they’re not active may think they’re doing their body good when they’re actually harming their teeth, said David Barnes, RDH. They don’t realize these acetic, sugary sports drinks should be used in moderation.
It’s important for patients to realize how diet can affect their teeth. A little education from you and your staff can help them make the right food choices for their teeth, especially when it comes to snack time.
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