Want to know the secret to no cavities?

[B]By DR. CRYSTAL EDMISTER D.D.S.[/B] [I]Saipan Seventh-day Adventist Clinic[/I]

“Why do my child’s teeth have so many cavities?”

In my years of dental practice this is probably one of the questions I get asked the most. It is usually followed by “I brush my child’s teeth at least twice a day and I don’t let them eat many sweets.” For years the dental profession has focused on what are traditionally considered the two most important factors that cause tooth decay:

-Poor oral hygiene

-Sweet sticky foods

Early in my practice I concluded that there was another important factor that was not being emphasized. After reviewing some research done by Dr.’s R. Steinman and J. Leonora in the 1960s, it occurred to me that maybe the missing factor was the frequency of eating and drinking. With this idea in mind, I began to tell my patients parents to put their children on an eating schedule. This schedule is designed so that the child has three hours between eating times, when he or she is not allowed any food or drink except pure water.

[B]‘The secret to not getting cavities’[/B]

This is not easy for parents to do! The children are accustomed to having frequent drinks of juice, milk, soda, snacks, etc. and they like it. Also, food and/or drink seem to be one of the easiest ways to sooth a fussy or upset child. However, when the parents actually follow the new meal plan, the results are dramatic. The tooth decay literally stops. I am now convinced that this is the most important way to prevent early childhood decay.

In my practice I have seen children who are allowed to have cavity producing foods (sticky sweets and soda) at mealtime only, with no increase of tooth decay. On the other hand, I have seen children with good oral hygiene who eat healthy snacks and drinks like fruit, vegetables, milk, unsweetened drinks on a continual basis throughout the day, end up with severe extensive tooth decay. Finally, I have seen children from homes with limited food, who are fed only two or three times per day and seldom brush their teeth yet have little or no tooth decay.

If you would like to spare your child from the painful and unattractive early childhood tooth decay, I recommend following this simple schedule:

[B]BREAKFAST [/B] Feed your child healthy, unprocessed foods
Three hours between breakfast and lunch: Only water allowed

[B]LUNCH [/B] Eating and drinking time with natural, unprocessed foods
Three hours between lunch and dinner: Only water allowed

[B]DINNER [/B] Eating and drinking time with healthy, unprocessed foods
Two and a half hours between dinner and bedtime snack, if necessary: Only water allowed

[B]BEDTIME SNACK, IF NECESSARY[/B] Small healthy snack
Only pure water in bottle (for children under 1 year of age) or sippy cup at night

The take home message is that your children’s teeth (this also applies to adults’ teeth!) need a rest from always being surrounded by food. Teeth need three hours in the morning after breakfast and three more hours in the afternoon where nothing but water is drunk. This time will help teeth rebuild themselves so they are stronger to resist cavities. Give your kids the free gift of a healthy, beautiful smile by not letting them snack! So there’s the secret! It’s out of the bag so start putting it to use today knowing that you’re doing the best thing for your child.

[B]Dr. Crystal Edmister D.D.S. is a dental hygienist at the Seventh Day Adventist Dental Clinic.[/B]