Tooth Trouble in Today's Teens
  Summer 2009

PhotoToday's teenagers are busier than ever before, with school, part-time jobs and a plethora of extra-curricular activities competing for their time. Marketers, aware of timestressed lifestyles stemming from these busy schedules, have created a number of products promoted to fill dietary requirements, in the form of energy drinks and "nutrition" bars. Unfortunately, these products not only don't fill all of a growing teen's nutritional needs, they can also be harmful to their teeth and overall health.

Energy bars and nutritional bars are promoted as a convenient way to fill the void left by those with little time for a complete meal during the day. While various bars contain different ingredients, the one thing many have in common is their gooey texture, which allows sugar to cling to the crevasses of teeth until it is brushed or rinsed away. Once the sticky, sugary product finds its way between or behind your teeth, it encourages plaque, a sticky, clear coating of bacteria, to form on your teeth, feeding off the sugar. This produces an acid that immediately attacks the teeth. Continued attacks can cause the enamel on the teeth to break down, eventually leading to tooth decay.

Sports and energy drinks are growing in popularity not only with athletes, but also with people who just want some extra "oomph" in their day. However, the effects of these beverages are proving to be more damaging to teeth than even soda pop. In fact, frequent consumption of energy and sports drinks results in the strongest potential for the erosion of teeth enamel, the thin, protective outer layer of the tooth that helps maintain its structure and shape.

It's important to make sure you make the time no matter how busy you and your children are to maintain your dental checkups, as once tooth erosion starts, it will cost you more money, comfort and effort to fix.

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