What's Wrong with Sugary Sweets?

Sugary snacks are a good motivational tool. If you want kids to study their lessons, use sugary snacks to motivate them to open their books. If you want them to help with the chores at home and offer sugary sweets as reward, they'll get the job done. Truly, sugary snacks are excellent leverage devices in dealing with kids.

However, sugary snacks can have a bad effect on their health. Sweets like candies, cookies and others can cause a variety of adverse effects; tooth decay and cavities are just two of them.

So how do these snacks attack the teeth and cause tooth decay and cavities? Well, these sweets contain sugar that germs and bacteria in the mouth love to eat. Yes, germs feed on the sweets. And some of these germs form a sticky substance called plaque, which in turn causes tooth decay and cavities.

The worse kinds of snacks include those sticky sweets that your kids love to chew. Since they stay longer in the mouth, the sticky, chewy or gooey stuff gives their teeth a sugary bath; perfect for those cavity-causing germs.

If you want to give sweets to your child, it's best to limit them to dessert after a meal. Limit the number of times during the day that your child consumes any sweet and sugary foods. As much as possible, load meals with healthy items like fruits and veggies, which help build strong teeth.

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Bernard L. Hoffman, III, DDS

General, Implant and Restorative Dentistry

My father was a dentist and I enjoyed the lifestyle that dentistry provided me as a child. I enjoy the fact that dentistry is such a challenge...

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General, Children and Cosmetic Dentistry

I always liked the medical field, but I didn't want to be a physician. Dentistry was the right profession, where I could help patients, providing them...

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I wished I had tried this dentist office sooner. Everyone there are very professional and knowledgeable. I was looking for a new dentist and I found Dr. Ana and I could not be more satisfied. My confidence in her was well placed. I would hope that every dentist was this good. I had a problem with my teeth for awhile. Two others dentists did not mention it to me but she was able to see what my problem was right away. It is now fixed and I couldn’t be more pleased with the work she did.

Dr. Ana is a fabulous dentist. Recently I had extensive dental work on my front teeth. Prior to the start of work she took an impression and made a temporary piece that looked natural. I am extremely happy with the final result. She is meticulous and caring, a great combination. The office staff is professional and courteous. I have been a patient at Pennington Family Dentistry for over 30 years.

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My wife and I have each visited PFD several times now, and we both have been consistently impressed with each of the staff, who have all been very friendly, knowledgeable and thorough.

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