by Andrea Gonzales, DDS, MS, Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
1. Sports Drinks
We've all been subjected to the clever and catchy sports drink commercials that make it seem that you must consume their assorted products while playing sports in order to be a great athlete—unfortunately, the marketing is especially aimed toward teenagers. These sugar-laden sports drinks are even available for purchase in our high schools. As a parent, have you ever stopped to ask yourself what's in these drinks that so many kids are gulping down on a daily basis?
The full strength (as opposed to low calorie) sports drinks usually contain water, sugar (a lot of sugar), salt (often sodium and potassium), citric acid and food coloring, in that order. On average, a 20-ounce bottle of regular Gatorade or Powerade contains 7.0 teaspoons of sugar! If you look at the nutritional information on the side of the bottles, it actually lists that one serving is supposed to be 8 ounces (a little over 1/3 bottle), but the commercials show the star athletes chugging down the whole bottle in seconds. The drinks not only contain lots of sugar and salt, but the drinks are very acidic (the pH hovers around 3.0, battery acid has a pH of 1.0, water a pH of 7.0 which is neutral). When acidic drinks are constantly consumed, the enamel of the teeth can demineralize which makes it weaker and more susceptible to cavities. If you top this off with 7 teaspoons of sugar that feed the bacteria in our mouths that produces more acid, cavities in the teeth can too often be the result.
What's the best drink for weekend athletes (1.5 hours or less of aerobic activity at a time)? Good old tap water or bottled water with added fluoride is what's needed to replenish the fluids lost during exercise. For kids doing lengthy sports activities or sports in high heat, water is still the most important fluid, but the low calorie sports drinks (for example Propel Zero, G2, etc) can provide your child with some electrolytes. In addition, it's the minutes per day that sugar is coating your teeth — not the amount of sugar at one time — that most greatly affects the formation of decay. Sipping sweetened drinks over an hour of time is more likely to cause tooth decay than chugging the stuff down in just a few minutes. For legal reasons, let me make it clear that I'm neither picking on nor endorsing any products; nutritional info is just readily available for the two biggest manufacturers. Thanks to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and Harvard Medical School for my scientific factual information.
2. Mouthguards
Mouthguards are an important preventive appliance that can save your child pain and discomfort from a dental injury and your wallet from expensive treatment to repair or replant injured permanent teeth. Any contact sport that might put your child at risk to be hit in the chin, face or head (like soccer, basketball, football, hockey, etc) is a sport where a mouthguard should be worn. Most sporting goods stores carry a big line of over the counter boil-and-bite mouthguards that can be used for a couple of months at a time. Once your child has all their permanent teeth (around age 13) and any needed orthodontics is completed, a professional pressure-laminated mouthguard can usually be fabricated by your dentist. Professional mouthguards can be made for younger children, but they will have to be replaced as your child grows and baby teeth are lost.
As summer approaches, keep these two tips in mind to help your child have a healthy and safe one!
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Andrea Gonzales, DDS, MS, is Board Certified in Pediatric Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She graduated from Baylor College of Dentistry with her DDS degree (general dentistry degree) and completed an additional two-year pediatric dental residency at Baylor College of Dentistry, Children's Medical Center of Dallas and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. Dr. Gonzales and her husband Dr. Tom Wickersham have a private pediatric dental practice specializing in children and adolescents. Dental Care 4 Kids has been serving Flower Mound and the surrounding areas of Lewisville, Highland Village, Lantana, Corinth and Denton since 1997.
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