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Gummy vitamins have become very popular in the last several years and even adults now have the option of getting essential vitamins and nutrients through a tasty gummy treat.  But while this can be a great way to get children to take their vitamins, gummy vitamins can harm your teeth.  Yes, they are enhanced with vitamins, but also often contain ingredients that can be found in traditional candy, such as glucose syrup (sugar).  Even sugar-free gummies can also contain sticky gelatin and enamel eating citric acid.

Deciding whether or not to use gummy vitamins may come down to what you or your children are most likely to actually use as well as what your own dietary requirements.  If it’s difficult to encourage children to take a regular vitamin, or if you don’t like the taste yourself, then considering a gummy vitamin might not be all bad.  Simply make sure that teeth are brushed shortly after taking them so that these “almost candies” don’t sit on your teeth for long periods of time.

Want to know more about how to build good dental health habits? Ask Dr. Greenhill at your next appointment, or call the Union Pediatric Dentistry office to set up an appointment to discuss your child's dental health.

As part of Children’s Dental Health Month, we’ve been looking at four surprising foods that are bad for teeth.  We have seen that foods many of us might consider to be tooth friendly alternatives may not be as easy on our teeth as we would think.  The final post in our series exposes another tricky food choice.  It may come as a shock that dried fruits like raisins can be tough on teeth, and while they are packed with vitamins, they are also sweet and sticky…a double threat to a oral health.

Raisins, dates, figs and other dried fruit can be a great way to for you and your family to supplement their diet.  These snacks can be kept for long periods of time, are easy to pack in lunch boxes and give large servings of fruit that may be difficult to get if fresh fruit is unavailable.   But they are also high in sugar which serves to feed the bacteria that causes cavities.  Moreover, this sugar tends to stay on teeth longer than the sugar from plain fruit because it sticks to the surface of your teeth and lingers in the mouth for a long period of time.

Saliva serves as your first line of defense against cavities by washing away food particles so that it doesn't sit on your teeth.  Food that stays in your mouth provides the nutrition that bacteria needs to grow, therefore the longer that food lingers the more bacteria there are to attack your teeth.   Moreover, dried fruit contains exactly the kind of nutrients that cavity causing bacteria love because it is high in sugar.

Your Union Pediatric Dentistry team suggests that you try sticking with the real thing and snacking on fresh fruit whenever possible.  You might also consider giving your teeth a quick rinse by swishing your mouth out with water after snacking.  Of course, you should always remember to brush and floss regularly as part of your daily routine.

When we think of healthy alternatives to soda and other sugary drinks, its often common to look to fruit juice as a healthy alternative.  Generally high in essential vitamins, fruit juice can be a much better choice than other beverages.  Unfortunately, it can also be one of the worst offenders.  That's right, fruit juice can be one of the foods that are bad for teeth. The sugars and citric acid found in most fruit juices cause double trouble for teeth, and can lead to tooth decay at an early age.

Apple juice can contain as much as 10 tsp. of sugar.  That’s exactly the same amount as found in the leading cola.  Grape juice contains even more, with nearly 15tsp.  Further, the citric acid in fruit juice can be tough on enamel, eating away at the first line of defense for healthy teeth.

Consuming fruit juice isn’t in and of itself bad.  Instead, the real problem is that we often simply consume too much juice or that we don’t rinse or brush afterwards.  Children are especially at risk when juice is given too frequently.  The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children have no more than 6 to 8 ounces of citrus fruit juice per day. Also, it’s important to limit your children’s consumption of juice to once a day, preferably with a meal, instead of spread out through the day, such as in a sippy cup. For the juice-lover in the family, two servings of watered down juice is a great way to satisfy a craving!

Want more information? Talk to Dr. Greenhill or another member of the Union Pediatric Dentistry team at your next appointment.

When we think of the foods most harmful to our teeth, we immediately think of candy.  Cavity causing bacteria thrives on sugar, and candy is one of the most obvious culprits.  Chips and crackers are often substituted for sweets because we think they are better for our teeth, and even people who are vigilant about brushing can be less likely to consider the negative effects of starchy foods.   In fact, it’s not only the sweet foods that are bad for teeth, but potato chips, crackers, and other starches are bad news as well. They become soft or sticky when chewed, and stay lodged in teeth long after the meal. Although they don't necessarily taste sweet, the starches in crackers and chips are broken down into sugar by enzymes in the mouth.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has stated that starchy foods may even be worse for your teeth than candy because of the length of time they stay on teeth long after snacking has ended.   As part of a national survey commissioned by the AAPD, it was discovered that 96% of U.S. adults with children under 12 thought a cracker was better for teeth than a piece of caramel.  The AAPD went on to say:

“The truth is that starches can lead to cavities just as sugars can, and caramels dissolve more quickly from the mouth than crackers…A cracker may be more figure-friendly, but it is not a teeth-friendly snack.”

Looking for an alternative?  Instead of potato chips or crackers Union Pediatric Dentistry recommends apple slices or celery which can provide that satisfying crunch, and a little bit of protein-dense peanut butter as a topping adds flavor if you or your children aren’t impressed with the substitution.