High Risk Caries Program
Dentistry on Sinclair is pleased to announce the launch of our High Risk Caries Program. The High Risk Caries Program is a 10 to 12 month program designed to reduce the risk of decay in your mouth. The focus of the program will be an optimization of your homecare routine, including nutritional counselling and exposure to enamel strengthening fluoride.
How Diet Contributes to the Risk of Dental Decay
Each and every time we eat any form of carbohydrate the sugars present in it mix with the bacteria in our mouth to produce an acid attack on our teeth. It is this acid attack that results in tooth decay. The acid attack isn’t over as soon as the food is swallowed—it takes time for the saliva in our mouth to neutralize the acid attack.
HIGH RISK FOODS
- Sugar
- Bread/Cereals
- Cake
- Candy
- Chocolate
- Cough Drops/Antacids
- Dried Fruit, i.e. raisins
- Fruit Juices
- Ice Cream/Frozen fruit treats
- Jams and Jellies
- Chocolate milk
- Granola bars
- Pudding
- Soda/Pop (including diet)
- Sports Drinks i.e. Gatorade
- Sweetened yogurt
- Coffee or Tea with sugar
LOW RISK FOODS
- Cheese
- Fresh fruit
- Meat
- Nuts
- Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)
- Raw vegetables
- Unsweetened yogurt
- Celery with cheese
- Cheese and crackers (multigrain is best)
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Coffee or Tea no sugar
- Water
- Popcorn
- Eggs
- White milk
- Hummus/salsa
- Chips
Where possible avoid foods in the High Risk Category especially between meals because the frequency of consumed high risk foods plays a role in the development of tooth decay. Higher risk foods that are slowly dissolving (i.e. hard candies, lozenges) are the worst for the teeth as the acid attack is prolonged, followed by sticky foods (i.e. jelly beans, fruit chews, pretzels)that are not easily cleared from the mouth, and finally liquids (pop, sports drinks, milk). Higher risk foods should be eaten only as part of a meal and preferably at the start of a meal. When consumed at the end of a meal or as a between meal snack, eat with water and either finish with a piece of cheese or sugarless gum or brush teeth well to decrease the acid attack.
Click here to download our diet analysis