USA - Cayuga County Health Department: Swap the sugar, crush the cavities

To prevent cavities and maintain good oral health, your diet — what you eat and how often you eat — are important factors. Changes in your mouth start the minute you eat certain foods. Bacteria in the mouth convert sugars and carbohydrates from the foods you eat to acids. It is the acids that begin to attack the enamel on teeth, starting the decay process. The more often you eat and snack, the more frequently you are exposing your teeth to the cycle of decay.

The best food choices for the health of your mouth include cheeses, chicken or other meats, nuts and milk. These foods are thought to protect tooth enamel by providing the calcium and phosphorus needed to remineralize teeth. For those people who are lactose-intolerant and cannot ingest milk products, green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach are high in calcium.

Additional food choices include firm, crunchy fruits and vegetables. These foods have a high water content, which dilutes the effects of the sugars they contain, and stimulate the flow of saliva. Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes and lemons, should be eaten as part of a larger meal to minimize the acid from them.

The best beverage choices include water, milk and unsweetened tea. Limit your consumption of sugar-containing drinks, including soft drinks, lemonade and coffee or tea with added sugar. Also, avoid day-long sipping of sugar containing drinks. Day-long sipping exposes your teeth to constant sugar and, in turn, constant decay-causing acids.

The Cayuga County Health Department’s Women, Infants and Children program recognizes that a healthy lifestyle includes caring for your teeth every day. "Swap the Sugar and Crush the Cavities" is the program's current healthy lifestyle focus, as a dynamic relationship exists between sugars and oral health. Participants attending local WIC clinics in Auburn, Cato and Moravia will receive toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and coloring books to encourage practicing healthy dental habits...............