By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.
If everyone would practice preventive dentistry, a trip to the dentist could be as benign as a trip to the hairdresser. By flossing, brushing with fluoride tooth paste and using a bacteria killing mouth wash, trips to the dentist for dental problems could be reduced. Modern technology found additional preventive techniques that may even prove to be even more appealing. Eating 1 ounce of certain cheeses such as Swiss, aged cheddar or Monterey Jack, eliminates the acid production of plaque.
Plaque is a soft film of bacteria, saliva and minute food particles that stick to the teeth and places you at higher risk for developing cavities. Of course, what is good for your mouth does not necessarily hold true for you waistline or your arteries. So not 3 or 4 ounces, only 1 ounce is suggested. Research has also shown that chewing gum containing sorbitol for 10 minutes after meals or snacks helps to neutralize the acids that form on dental plaque which leads to cavities. It stimulates the flow of saliva and squirts it between the teeth into crevices where decay breeds. Evan a gelatin candy like Gummi Bears may produce a cavity reducing ability similar to that of sorbitol gum after ten minutes of chewing. With its rubbery consistency and citric acid, which combine to produce the same effect as gum, the candy acts as an inexpensive Water Pik, stimulating the flow of saliva and squirting it between the teeth.
Gummi bears do contain sugar and corn syrup, two proven cavity producers, so it is best to brush and flush afterward. Whether the positives outweigh the negatives is a matter of dental debate, but it is something that we need to bring to the attention of our diabetic patients.
