Hey, what's in that school lunch or snack?

Each time you eat a snack containing sugar or starch (carbohydrates), the resulting acid attack on your teeth can last up to 20 minutes, and a lot of snacks and drinks contain sugar. How much sugar? A single can of pop contains up to 10 teaspoons of sugar, and if you think that natural sugar (like the sugar in raisins or other fruit) is better for your teeth it’s not. Sugar is sugar, and the average Canadian consumes over 40 kilograms of sugar each year! Click here for a list of how much sugar your favorite snack might contain.

How can you defeat the sugar bug?

Beat the Clock - foods that are eaten during a meal usually pose less of a threat to teeth because of the additional saliva produced during mealtime eating. Saliva helps to wash food particles from your mouth and lessen the damage from acid.

Brush & floss those teeth - toothbrushing is important, and you should brush twice a day. Did you know that if you don’t floss, you miss cleaning up to 35% of each tooth? If you’re not sure how to floss, just ask your dentist.

Stock up on Dairy Products - yogurt and cheese, milk and milk products contain things that are good for your teeth. Everything that’s made from milk is a good source of calcium - an essential nutrient for the development of bones and teeth. Some scientific studies have shown that eating cheese might actually help to protect your teeth from cavities by preventing something called demineralization (the loss of important calcium in your teeth).

Hidden Sugar

This experiment identifies the sugar content in food. Sugar is a major factor in the growth of plaque and tooth decay. Note: an adult must supervise this experiment.

What you'll need:
1 bottle of Benedict's solution (ask the school Science department)
assorted small pieces of food (cookies, crackers, bread, fruit)
several glass test tubes
1 heat source (burner, gas or electric)
tongs

What to do:
Place a piece of food in each test tube and then pour 30 - 40 ml of Benedict's solution over the food. Heat the test tubes one at a time over the burner, using the tongs to hold the test tubes.

What will happen:
Benedict's solution is blue. The presence of sugar will turn the solution to orange. Are there some foods you thought were sugar-free that have sugar?

Note: with any science experiment, it is recommended you have an adult present for supervision.

N.S. Department of Health publication
Dental Health Grades 4 - 6/89.

World's Wackiest Dental Office

Can you spot all the things that are out of place in this wacky dental office?

Take the Sugar Quiz!

Special thanks to the Nova Scotia Dental Association for providing this information.