Ready to Snack? Think about:

Snacking may have become a regular part of your routine. While snacking can help decrease the large meals you eat that pack on the pounds. You don’t want to go crazy during the snacks. “If you’re going to reach for a snack there are three things to think about in order to keep your smile healthy,” suggests Dr. Anna Lee.

The number of times a day you eat sugary snacks is critical to the health of your smile. An increase in sugar snacks increases the likelihood of cavities and decay.

How long the sugary food stays in your mouth is critical to think about when you are reaching for that snack. You can easily travel with a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in your purse, to decrease the amount of time that sugar stays on your teeth. But if you can’t brush right away, Dr. Lee encourages you to reach for something healthy instead.

Are the snacks sticky? Chewy? If the snack is sticky or chewy it is more likely to stick to the surface of the teeth making it more difficult to remove from the teeth. It can also stick between the teeth, which increases your risk of periodontal disease.

For more information contact Dr. Lee & her team today.

Oral Care for Children & Adults

Your smile is the way you communicate with your friends you are enjoying their company. It is how you tell your boyfriend you want to spend more time with him, and how you communicate to your children they have made you proud. Having a healthy smile can help increase feelings of happiness, hope, as well as open up career options. Here are five tips on how you and your children can improve your overall oral care.

•      Brush the teeth twice a day and preferably within 30-60 minutes after every meal and snack

•      Use fluoride-containing toothpaste

•      Floss daily

•      Use mouth rinse daily

•      Visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings.

For more information on how to improve your oral health, contact Dr. Anna & her team.

Healthy Eating for Adults

The foods you eat can help increase the health of your smile. While we all consume sugar or sweets sometimes, these few tips from Dr.Anna Lee can help improve your overall health and help you to keep all of your teeth.  

·      Avoid frequent snacking on sweets and sweet beverages between meals.

·      Sugar Substitutes and Sugar-Free products taste like sugar, but they don’t promote decay-causing acids that can cause tooth decay.

·      Chew sugarless gum- it stimulates the production of saliva and it prevents tooth decay.

·      Cheese stimulates the production of saliva.

”Sugar-Free products means that no sugar was added to the foods during processing,” says Dr. Lee, “but the foods may contain other natural sweeteners, such as honey, molasses, evaporated cane sugar, fructose, barley malt or rice syrup.”  These natural sweeteners contain the same number of calories as sugar and can be harmful to the teeth.

For more information on healthy eating contact Dr. Lee & her team today.

Healthy Eating for Older Children

The food that an older child consumes is critical, not only in developing life long habits, but also for the overall health of their teeth. Providing healthy snacks for your child can ensure they get the nutrients they need without the junk they don’t. Here are five tips from Dr. Anna Lee on how you can help.

·      Recent research shows that cheese is one of the healthiest snacks for children’s teeth.  Cheddar, Swiss and mozzarella cheeses stimulate the salivary gland to produce saliva and lessens the effects of acids attacking the teeth and causing tooth decay.

·      Avoid frequent snacking on sweets and sweet beverages between meals.

·      Serve snacks and meals that satisfy a child’s need for different types of foods-crunchy, soft, chewy, smooth, sweet, sour, bland and others

·      Offer snacks at regular times, such as mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Don’t let children snack throughout the day.

·      When shopping, allow the children help pick out fruits, vegetables and cheeses.  They will be more interested in eating them.

For more information on which foods are great for your child’s teeth contact Dr. Lee and her team today.

Healthy Eating & Oral Care for Babies/Toddlers

Your baby's teeth are precious and require special attention. It is important to take care of their teeth in order to protect them from problems, such as decay. Dr. Anna Lee recommends following these four steps in order to keep your child’s smile healthy.  Early healthy habits can allow your child to have healthy habits for a lifetime. 

•       Do not allow babies/toddlers go to sleep with a bottle of milk, soft drink or fruit juice.  Give them a dummy or a bottle of water.

•       Gently wipe down the baby’s gums or teeth with a clean, moistened cloth after each feeding and before putting them to bed.

•       Do not give the babies/toddlers frequent snacks.

•       Clean the baby’s teeth and gums morning and night.

For more information contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team.

Food Choices

Your food choices impact your smile, your health and your overall body. “It is critical to make important food choices,” says Dr. Anna Lee.

Foods benefit Oral Health

·      Calcium-Rich Foods: cheese, milk, plain yogurt, tofu, leafy greens, almonds

·      Protein-Rich Foods: meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, beans, peas and other legumes

·      High in Water & Fiber:

Fruits-oranges, apples, pears, pears, strawberries

Vegetables-broccoli, celery, carrots, spinach

Foods harm Oral Health

·      Dried fruits: raisins

·      Sticky candies: taffy, caramel

·      Desserts: cakes, cookies, muffins

·      Sugar-containing drinks: soda, lemonade, juice, sweetened coffee or tea, sports drinks

For more help on which foods are best with your smile, contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today.

Eating Patterns

Adults and children want to enjoy healthy living and healthy teeth and gums.  Eating patterns and when you eat can affect the oral health. Dr. Anna Lee states, “Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm to teeth than eating lots of snacks throughout the day.”

 

More saliva is produced during a meal. Saliva washes foods from the mouth and lessens the effects of acids attacking the teeth that cause tooth decay. The recommendations are to limit between-meal snacks and limit the number of snacks eaten throughout the day.

Foods that are high in carbohydrates decrease the amount of saliva production. This decrease not only impacts problems in the mouth overall, “but it creates a breeding ground for more bacteria to impact the teeth and gums,” says Dr. Lee.

For more information on how to prevent problems and keep your smile healthy, contact Dr. Lee & her team today.