Plaque is the Enemy

Dr. Jason and Jamie Sands hope that you find some helpful information here and that you are inspired to forward it on to friends and family! We love referrals and some of our best patients refer some of our best patients! We wish you brighter smiles and greater overall health.


Snacking and Tooth Decay

If Fluoride is one of the best ways to protect against decay then I would say frequent snacking can be one of our teeth's biggest enemies. Every day, children face snacking challenges. The truth is when it comes to dental health what your child eats is not as important as when and how often they snack! It all has to do with the "plaque reaction"– and this is how it works:

The Plaque Reaction

Everyone has plaque bacteria in their mouths. But when these plaque bacteria meet up with the sugars and starches that are found in snacks such as cookies, candies, dried fruits, soft drinks, or even pretzels or potato chips, the plaque reacts to create acid, and a "plaque attack" occurs.
The fact is most snacks that you eat contain either sugars or starches that give plaque this opportunity to make acid. And each "plaque attack" can last for up to 20 minutes after you have finished your snack. During this period, the plaque acid is attacking tooth enamel, making it weak. That's when cavities can start!

Fighting Back Against Plaque!

The good news is you can help your child take a stand against plaque! By brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and by reducing the number of times they snack each day.

When it comes to snacking, your child should try to choose something nutritious and to snack in moderation. It is also better to eat the whole snack at one time! Here's why: eating five pieces of a snack at one time exposes your teeth to possible tooth decay one time — for approximately 20 minutes. Nibbling on those same five pieces at five different times exposes your teeth to possible tooth decay for approximately 100 minutes. What a difference!


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