Two out of three of my kids recently got their first cavities. Of course I felt like it was my fault. They brush their teeth, rinse with fluoride rinse, and get fluoride treatments at the dentist. And I thought it was interesting that two of them (9 year old daughter and 5 year old son) had to spend some time with the drill while my 7 year old daughter got off scott free. (Side note - speaking of the drill - my dentist does not use Novocaine shots on kids, just topical numbing product when doing fillings. Are you kidding me? His reasoning is that kids’ nerve endings aren’t fully developed, but still. However, I guess he was right as they both made it through the whole event just fine - although my son came out and asked me to look in his mouth to make sure his teeth were all there - he said it felt like they pulled his tooth out).
Anyway, what do the two cavity kids have in common? Former cranberry juice hounds. I actually cut juice out of their diets cold turkey this summer and we now stick to milk or water. I made this call after their annual check ups when the pediatrician said no more than 4 ounces of juice is recommended each day. Four ounces? My son was consuming that before 7 am. I am sure I had been told that information before but was still in the small children fog many mothers have for the first five years or so. The kids didn’t exhibit any juice withdrawal symptoms and I actually think my daughter has slimmed down a bit as a result.
Cranberry juice is highly acidic and has sugar, and was most likely one of the causes of the cavities in the juice lovers, while my younger daughter drinks water pretty exclusively, as that is the only drink she likes. I of course always felt good about not letting my kids drink any soda - yet as far as causing cavities, juice can be just as bad. Bacteria causes cavities and it utilizes the sugars found in foods and drinks like juice, candy and sweets - in addition to natural sugars found in fruits and carbs like bread and pasta. That got me to wondering about what else I was doing wrong so I asked the dentist about the top cavity causes:
Juice, soda and other sugary drinks
Chewy candies like gummies or taffy
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Chewy or gooey foods like raisins and peanut butter that can stick to teeth
Eating sugary foods without water or milk to wash it down - drinking with the snack will help remove it from the kids’ teeth. Or better yet, avoid consuming sugary foods and drinks between meals - eat them with meals and brush after so the sugars spend less time on your child’s teeth. If you can, brush after every meal.
Other tips:
Depending on your stance on sugarless gum, chewing sugarless gum between meals when you can’t get to brush your teeth produces saliva which helps sweep sticky food from teeth. Even having kids rinse with water after drinking juice or eating a sugary snack can help - a good thing to encourage when they are at school.
Encourage kids to drink water with fluoride (our tap water has it, most bottled waters don’t).
11.16.09 @ 12:33 pm
What about “homemade” juice? We have a juicer and my kids LOVE juice, so cutting it out cold turkey would not work…I have a hard enough time getting them to even drink anything. My son is a picky drinker (and eater). The only way I can get him to drink water is if it is flavored and VERY seldom will he drink milk.
11.16.09 @ 2:23 pm
hi sharon - i think fresh juice and fruits are great for kids - just be sure they brush their teeth - or rinse with water or even drink water - after having some.
11.17.09 @ 8:20 pm
I am a dental assistant have been for 11 yrs. This is one of the major causes of decay we see from juice. One reason is because one of the government programs endorses juice. My daughter is 4 yrs old, I never started her on juice as an infant, she now goes to preschool and when the other kids have juice she has water. Kids need water from the tap not bottled water.
11.18.09 @ 12:14 pm
My daughter is 13 months old and it is not an easy task to brush the few teeth that she has. She has not been introduced to juice because I am concerned about her teeth since we cannot brush her teeth quite like we do our own. On occasion we have noticed that she has bad breath. Any suggestions?
11.18.09 @ 3:42 pm
Hooray ! Water and Fluoride an awesome combination !
11.18.09 @ 4:25 pm
tap water is gross tasting i prefer filtered water. my nieces are 9 & almost 5 & basically are health food conscious (my sister is raw food vegan sometimes)
11.19.09 @ 4:19 pm
The comments are very interesting. The one thing that I beg to differ on is the teeth brushing after every meal. I was told that I had sensitive teeth and teeth prone to decay because I brushed my teeth TOO often AND my dentist also told me to wait at least 30 minutes after eating, before brushing, as that is when teeth are at their most vulnerable. Anyway I am interested if anyone else has been told this?
11.20.09 @ 1:24 am
Moms - please do your own research on flouride and possible adverse reactions. Flouride is not an essential nutrient. Medical experts continue to debate the potential toxic threats to child development. As with all potentially harmful substances, research the subject, get more than one medical opinion and make an educated decision. Do some research on your public water system; we are not all drinking the same water.
11.20.09 @ 2:30 pm
I am a mom and a dentist. Several points made here do not add up. Children’s teeth have fully developed nerves. This is why they hurt when a tooth decays into the pulp. When the decay is into the dentin, the teeth need to be anesthetised for treatment. Children with bad dental experiences become adults with neglected teeth. Thew last post on Fluoride is part of a disturbing trend disseminated by holistic extremists. Fluoride is a natural substance, It is the most abundant element in the earth’s crust. It is true that too much fluoride causes fluorosis of the teeth. People in West Texas have browmn mottled teeth from drinking the ground water. However there is no evidence that these people ar toxic or unhealthy in any way. The normal concentration of optimally fluoridated water is .8mg fluoride per liter. In areas where fluorosis is evident the concentration of fluoride is around 150mg per liter.
11.20.09 @ 3:29 pm
Plan B Mom has a lot of good info. Water down all juices given to children. Fruits are high in natually occuring sugars so even fresh squeezed can be diluted. Don’t forget that “power” drinks are not recommended either as a drink of choice as they have some sugars and citric acids. They were actually developed for athletes who sweat out a ton of water while exercising- not the occational kid who may run a few bases. Canned sweet teas with lemon as well as fast-food sweet teas are also loaded with sugar. Bananas and pretzels can stick on teeth. Filtered water usually has the fluoride removed. As a hygienist I do see a difference in a populations’ teeth when fluoride in not in the water supply. Some country folks have naturally occuring fl2 in their well water. Best to have water tested. Donna may have some recession that has exposed dentin surfaces of her teeth below the enamel line that have become sensitive and can be prone to abrasion when brushing “too much”. Gentle brushing in a massaging circular motion for 2 minutes 2 times a day with nothing to drink or eat after the bedtime brushing and daily flossing is usually enough to keep teeth healthy. FL2 is a controversial subject but the mechanical action of brushing and flossing will remove most. Kids even to age 12 need parental help. Parents who have active caries can pass the bacteria to their children so be sure you get regular checkups to eliminate.
Happy brushing and go floss! :o)
01.21.10 @ 2:16 pm
Fruit snacks are soooo bad for the teeth. Especially becuase kids dont floss as much as they should.
01.21.10 @ 3:21 pm
I recently took my kids to the dentist and was told that children shouln’t even be brushing their own teeth till the age of 9, just because they dont brush as well as they should. My kids are 5 1/2 and almost 7 and they both brush on their own but after they are done they come and show us their teeth and we do an “inspection” if we think they didnt do such a good job we send them back to do it again.