dental caries

Introduction

dental decay has been linked to duration of exposure to sweet and acid foods such as:
- sweetened drinks including fruit juice, cordial, Milo, Quik, Ribena, sports drinks, soft drinks (including sugar-free)
- sweet foods including dried fruit, fruit fingers, honey, jam, Nutella or muesli bars
- jelly snakes, Chuppa chups or Minties are especially bad for teeth as they stay in the mouth a long time and are sticky.
plaque bacteria in the mouth change sweet food into acid, which causes tooth decay by eroding tooth enamel
the body is unable to repair eroded tooth enamel

avoid sweet or acid foods or drinks, particularly between meals or at bedtime (apples at bed time is NOT good!)
when children eat fruit between meals, it is advisable that they follow up with a small square of cheese or a drink of milk or water, as this washes out the acidity from the mouth.
- children should eat 3 pieces of fruit and 5 vegetables each day as well as a high intake of grains and protein, and 3 serves of dairy products for a healthy diet.
tooth-friendly snacks include rice cakes, dry biscuits, popcorn, nuts, cheese slices, peanut butter, vegemite, butter, cut up vegetables with dips such as tzatziki or hummus.
rather than having lollies in the house, buy a treat for your child once a week, and have it at the end of a meal followed by water.
do grocery shopping without children and consider savoury or vegetable treats - crunchy - not sweet.
at parties, children should eat all lollies at once, and if unable to brush immediately, chew a sugar-free gum for 10 minutes which will stimulate saliva flow that washes out the mouth (don't forget to add the sugar-free gum to the lolly bags).
before going to bed, children should clean their teeth with toothbrush and toothpaste (a pea-sized ball of low flouride toothpaste for children under 7 years of age), and then have nothing to eat or drink other than water.