Foods and dental health
By: Katie Scott
Media Influences
There is a scene on the movie Big Daddy where the kid eats all this junk food including chips, candy, and soft drinks. The kid enjoys all the food and it looks like he likes all the food. This influences other kids to eat what he was eating because he liked the food and he ate a lot of it. The movie does not say anything about how bad the food is for your teeth so they don't know that they shouldn't be eating all that junk food.
In the movie Cheaper By the Dozen, the mom goes to the grocery store to buy food for the family. The majority of the food in the cart was junk food including chip, donuts, and candy. She says that it is the only food she can buy to get the kids to eat. She ends up buying all the food and there is nothing about how bad the food is for your teeth. This could influence other moms to buy the same kind of food for her family because the movie says nothing bad about all the junk food she buys. Moms may not know what all the junk food could do to her kids' teeth.
Interpersonal Communication
You could also talk to your parents. Your parents are for the most part wiser than you are. They would most likely know what you could do to prevent damage on your teeth. You could ask them what you should eat to keep damage from happening and you could ask them what could happen if you eat too many things that are bad for you teeth.
Immediate Risk Factors
Long Term Risk Factors
Your mouth is highly sensitive to poor nutrition. Eating too many bad foods too often can have some long term effects on your mouth. Some of those effects could be tooth loss, serious gum disease, and bad breath. If you end up having any of these problems it could result in losing all your teeth and have to get dentures. Also, any of these factors could result in very big dental bills. Having gum disease and losing teeth will cost a lot to get fixed.
Advances
An oral biologist has developed a mint that uses saliva's chemistry to neutralize acidity that can erode enamel. The mint's active ingredient is a cavity-fighting agent called Cavistat. It introduces an amino acid which neutralizes sugars in food.The Cavistat contains other compounds that keep the enamel intact. The mint doesn't replace brushing and flossing which also help the enamel stay intact, but it will help.
Dental Decay
The image shows when the decay starts and what part of the tooth it erodes.
Acidic Foods
These foods are foods that are bad for your teeth and will start to erode your teeth if they are eaten too often.
Good Foods
These foods are good for you teeth and won't do too much damage if they are eaten too often.
Sources
Katie Scott
Mrs. Hinz
Health