When my daughter started high school, we did our homework.  We read articles on listening, talking, staying involved, not being too involved, saying no to drugs, saying yes to opportunities..the list was endless. We were prepared for every event ....except for the easy availability she had to soft drinks at school. It was readily apparent at her next check up that unbeknownst to me, she had been drinking pop every day from the vending machines. So  began a battle that we still fight today....Stop the Pop!

   Soft drinks are a major cause of tooth decay among children and adults. The sugar in pop combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid. Even diet or "sugar -free" pop has acid. Each time you take a sip of pop, the acids go to work for about 20 minutes on your teeth, weakening the enamel.  That is 20 minutes each sip! The bacteria in your mouth then attacks the area of weakened enamel and the result? Decay!

     Soft drinks have become a staple in American society. Back in the 1950's a bottle of pop was 6.5 ounces. Today's standard sizes are 16 to 20 ounces! Super sized drinks can hold up to 64 ounces of pop, more than five cans in one serving! It is estimated that one fifth of one and two year old children drink at least a cup of pop a day. Almost half of the children between the age of 6 and 11 drink 15 ounces a day. Besides causing decay, consumption of soft drinks and sugary drinks are a major contributing factor to childhood obesity which frequently  leads to Type II Diabetes.

     Teenagers drink three times more pop today than 20 years ago, often choosing soft drinks over healthy calcium containing drinks such as  milk. It is estimated that less than 50% of adolescent girls consume enough calcium daily, which can lead to early development of osteoporosis. Girls who drink carbonated beverages are 5 times more likely to have bone fractures than those who don't drink soft drinks.

     What  can you do?  First and most importantly, be informed. Find out what drink options are available to your children  at school and be sure there are healthy alternatives such as milk, water and true fruit juices. Talk to your children about how soda can damage their teeth.  Be a good role model.  Limit the consumption of pop in your home and model healthy choices to your family.

     Say So Long to Soda!  Make healthy drink choices a way of life for you and your family!

 

Email a dental question to Dr. Milewski  and win movie tickets if your question is chosen! Be sure to indicate that  the question is for the contest  and click here to email your question.

Dear Dr. Milewski,
When I was in your office last month, Trish mentioned she was taking a digital x-ray. Are digital x-rays better than regular ones?
                Thanks for answering,   I hope you choose my question!
                                                                Mary D.
Hi Mary,
We often have patients ask us about our digital x-rays. We have been using a digital system for almost two years and we love it!  Our digital x-ray unit uses 65% less radiation.  While dental x-rays in general expose patients to  very low doses of radiation, using less is always important!  Digital x-rays also greatly increase our ability to diagnose the health of your teeth. Imagine an old fashioned film X-ray - developed they are about 1 1/2 inches  wide. Compare that to a digital image of your tooth that we can put up on a 17 inch high resolution monitor. We can enlarge the image, and zero in on areas of concern . It greatly enhances our diagnostic capabilities. I would never go back to using film!
                I love living in a digital age! Congratulations on winning the contest, and enjoy the movies!
                                                    Dr. Milewski
                                                   

 

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