{"id":421,"date":"2020-03-27T07:44:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T07:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/?p=421"},"modified":"2020-03-27T13:29:15","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T13:29:15","slug":"stay-safe-stay-home-and-snack-smart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/2020\/03\/27\/stay-safe-stay-home-and-snack-smart\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay Safe, Stay Home, and Snack Smart!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few years ago we shared a blog post all\nabout smart snacking, and it seemed appropriate to bring up the topic again\namid the Coronavirus shutdown. With so many kids, quarantined at home, the\ntemptation for snacks is constant (for adults too!). It\u2019s a never-ending \u201cI\u2019m\nhungry!\u201d or \u201cCan I have a snack??\u201d when you\u2019re trying to homeschool with the\nrefrigerator and pantry within feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This worries a lot of pediatric dentists\nbecause we know that it\u2019s not really the AMOUNT of sugar in one sitting that is\ndangerous for cavities, but really the FREQUENCY. And although we know you\u2019re\nnot offering candy at every request, even carbohydrate snacks such as granola\nbars, goldfish, and crackers can be dangerous as they break down to simple\nsugars when left on teeth. When the bacteria that cause cavities are exposed to\nsugar, they break it down into acid that eventually can weaken enamel and\ncreate holes in teeth. The buffers and minerals in saliva help neutralize acid\nreleased by bacteria after sugar exposure, but it takes time for the saliva to\nregenerate its helpful properties. So if you snack frequently, your saliva may\nstruggle to keep up and cannot completely combat all the acid that builds up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We don\u2019t think of a cracker as the usual\nculprit for dental decay, but the next time you eat one, pay attention to how\nit actually can be thought of as a \u201csticky\u201d food. The mashed up carbohydrate\ngets stuck in the grooves of your teeth and unless you pick it out with your\ntongue, finger, or a toothbrush, the food will stay there for quite awhile.\nYoung children don\u2019t have the full motor development of their tongues to pick\nout the food, and many just don\u2019t seem to be bothered by have food stuck in\ntheir teeth. It is not surprising to find Goldfish stuck in the grooves of our\nlittle patients\u2019 molars hours after their snack time! If left on the tooth long\nenough, the Goldfish remnants will eventually be broken down into simple sugars\nthat then feed the bacteria and cause acid production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since we can\u2019t resume normal check-ups and\nelective dental work for quite some time, we wanted to remind parents to keep\nhealthy snacking in mind in the meantime. We know these are stressful times,\nand we\u2019re not suggesting that children NEVER eat crackers \u2013 but you can make\nsome adjustments to your family\u2019s snacking routine that could make a big\ndifference for teeth. The best thing would be to limit the frequency of snacks\nand choose non-carbohydrate food for in between meals, such as cheese sticks,\nyogurt, fruit, or meat. Avoid snacks that are extra sticky such as dried fruit\nor granola bars made with dates or honey. Offer water with all snacks to help\nwash away leftover food, or have a crunchy snack like an apple or carrot after\na cracker to help clean out the molar grooves. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few years ago we shared a blog post all about smart snacking, and it seemed appropriate to bring up the topic again amid the Coronavirus shutdown. With so many kids, quarantined at home, the temptation for snacks is constant (for adults too!). It\u2019s a never-ending \u201cI\u2019m hungry!\u201d or \u201cCan I have a snack??\u201d when… Continue reading Stay Safe, Stay Home, and Snack Smart!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[57,81,82],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweettoothkids.com\/PediatricDentalBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}