Diet and Dental Decay
Dental decay, caries, or cavities, affects the hard tissues of your teeth, such as enamel. The cause is a combination of bacteria present in your mouth and sugars and starches in the food you consume. Bacteria live in the sticky film of plaque that accumulates on your teeth if you don’t brush them correctly. When you eat, the plaque bacteria come in contact with the food as it moves through your mouth, before you swallow it. These bacteria love sugary and starchy foods, and use them to produce acids, which can start to dissolve the enamel on the surface of your tooth. As time goes by, the enamel is destroyed, and dental decay, or a cavity, is the result. Just as important as the amount of foods containing sugar and starch you eat, is how often you eat them. As the amount and frequency of sugar and starches consumed increases, so does the amount of damage.
Identifying which foods contain sugars and starches is not always obvious. Anything sweet contains sugar, like jam, peanut butter, chocolate, pop, juice, and candies. Starches are found in bread, potatoes, rice and cereal.
Completely avoiding these foods is not the answer, but becoming aware of what you eat and when you eat it is a good place to start. Eating healthy, well-balanced meals three times a day and limiting in-between-meal snacks can have a big impact on your dental health.
Here are some tips to help you decrease your dental decay:
* Eat a balanced diet that contains proteins, vegetables, and salads
* Limit between meal snacking. Remember, every time you eat sugary or starchy foods, or drink sweet beverages, your teeth are attacked by acids.
* If you do snack, pick healthy snacks like cheese, raw vegetables, or peanuts. Tooth-friendly drinks are water, tea/coffee without sugar, and diet pops/juices.
* Foods and drinks eaten at or after mealtimes cause less damage. Saliva is released during meals which helps neutralize the acids produced by the oral bacteria.
* Brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste that has the Canadian Dental Association seal of approval.
STICKY SUBJECT
Chewing gum can increase academic performance, according to research undertaken by a New York University professor, Dr. Ken Allen.
He divided the volunteer students into two groups, with and without gum and delivered three days of instruction. Gum Chewers came out ahead in the written tests.
"I don't know how gum might affect learning," Allen says,"but there has been previous research that suggests chewing stimulates a part of the brain that is important for memory." The answer could also lie in an increased heart rate caused by chewing that pumps more blood and ozxygen to the brain, he adds.
Of course the increased intelligence from gum chewing would ensure that you always chew SUGERLESS gum so that you won't be at greater risk for cavities!,
