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Emily Hahn, D.D.S (Guest): Hi, I'm Dr. Emily Hahn, a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist at St. Louis Children's Hospital. And I'm a MomDoc.

Melanie Cole (Host): Hey, welcome to MomDocs, the podcast from St. Louis Children's Hospital. Today, we're talking about June is National Candy Month, sweets and your kids' dental health. Dr. Hahn, I'm so glad to have you join us today. So, June is National Candy Month, as I just said, and while we're all excited, I don't know just kids, but I'm excited myself. And it's true that eating a lot of candy can be bad for your teeth, but is really that big of a concern. Tell us a little bit about what we know now that maybe we didn't know, 20, 30 years ago, does candy really cause cavities?

Dr. Hahn: So, that's a great question, because that is a common thing that people come in when they have cavities, they often say, oh, my kid doesn't eat much candy, but candy is not the only factor when it comes into cavities. What really matters is the frequency in which we eat. So, those kids who graze frequently or snack frequently, even if it's not just candy, those are the kids that we tend to see cavities on. So, candy isn't always the culprit for cavities.

Host: Wow. Well, that's kind of good to know and a little bit encouraging. So, what foods do cause cavities, Dr. Hahn?

Dr. Hahn: Most foods do have carbohydrates in them. And because they have carbohydrates, the goldfish, the crackers, things like that, even granola, they stick in the grooves of the teeth and those can actually cause cavities as well. Like I mentioned earlier, it's all about the frequency. So, we recommend a two hour break after we eat food. So, if you have breakfast, have a two hour break where you only have water. And then you can have a snack and then only water. Honestly, what we drink matters just as much as what we eat.

Host: That's so interesting. Now, back in the day, Dr. Hahn, sugar-free foods were all the rage and it was mostly because of cavities. A lot of it, before even the obesity epidemic, you know, there was all these sugar-free foods. So, are there certain candies? Because I remember my mother had the worst sugar-free candies ever, and they had such a horrible taste and even sugar-free lollipops, what candies can we eat that are maybe better for our teeth or at least not worse?

Dr. Hahn: The best candy for your teeth is chocolate. The reason is, is chocolate melts in your mouth, not just your hand, it's not just M & M's. So, the good thing is, is that chocolate tends to not stick in the grooves of the teeth. It's those sticky foods, those sticky candies that we tend to not encourage. Also those hard candies where you bite on them and they stick in those back grooves of your teeth where you feel like you need to pick it out. Those are the types of foods that we're more concerned with. So honestly, chocolate, especially during holidays and National Candy Month is a great option. But again, it's all about frequency. Now, there are actually some candies out there that are made with xylitol, which is one of those other forms of sugars that you're referring to that actually can prevent cavities.

So, there's xylitol in many brands of gums. It's xylitol with an X. So, if you look at the ingredients of various candies and they actually sell xylitol lollipops, you can find those in your dental hygiene aisles at most drug stores.

Host: Wow. So, that's really great advice. So, if our child likes candy, kind of reiterate again, I know you mentioned a little bit before with the water and brushing your teeth, but if a child wants to eat sweets, give us a little reiteration about what they would do. And even on times like Halloween, I mean, we all should be brushing our teeth afterwards. Right? And rinsing and all of those things.

Dr. Hahn: So, my bottom line advice is if you have a kid who has a sweet tooth, first, you don't need to cut it out completely from their life, because if you make it something that's so rare, it's going to be a treat that they're going to want and cherish. A little bit goes a long way. Try to stick with the less sticky foods. So, we're talking the chocolates rather than the really sticky stuff. And then we want to make sure that when you have those sweet things, try to combine it with a meal or directly after a meal. So that, that time period is altogether. So, you have lunch. That's a great time to give that piece of chocolate, right then rather than you know, they play for 15 minutes, have a bite of chocolate, they go play again, have another bite. It's all about making sure that the mouth gets a break to neutralize the acidity, so the cavity risk is a lot less.

Host: That's great information. So, let's talk about dental checkups. How many times a year should we be bringing our child to the dentist? Starting at what age? And I'd also like you to talk about fluoride treatments because a lot of parents have questions about that.

Dr. Hahn: Absolutely. So, our recommendation is that every child should have their first dental visit around the age of one or their first tooth. Now your one-year-old is likely not going to sit in the dental chair. However, it's a great opportunity to talk about things like diet, like chocolate and sugar and candy, and have that and build that rapport because we want our kids to have a healthcare team. It's not just your pediatrician that should be on that team to help answer all of your questions. So, age one, and we'd like to see the kids every six months. Most dentists are going to recommend that your child needs to get a fluoride treatment every six months. Now, in all reality, some kids would benefit from fluoride treatment more frequently. And there are some kids who may not need that, if they don't have a high cavity risk, but the general rule of thumb is checkups twice a year and that fluoride treatment two times a year as well.

Host: So, now tell us a little bit about teaching our children good dental hygiene. I mean, we all can learn from this and it's something that if you learn it early enough, right, it'll carry you through your entire life. So, give us like good dental hygiene routine that for ourselves and ways that we can teach our children these lessons.

Dr. Hahn: Kids learn best from having great examples. The most important thing to impart is the last thing that should touch your mouth before you go to bed, is a toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste, regardless of the age of the child. So, granted when they're little and they may not be able to spit it out, we want to just use a smear of fluoride toothpaste. And so we want to demonstrate that for our kids. Again, be a great example of making sure the last thing that touches your mouth at nighttime is a toothbrush. If you're anything like me, your kid's are going to go to sleep before you do so, another good thing is just flossing and flossing doesn't have to be at the exact same time you're brushing your teeth. So, if we can implement flossing before those back teeth even touch and just start desensitizing kids to it, that's a great example. But the best, best, best thing with oral hygiene is showing your kids that you drink water yourself and being a good example for diet.

So, you want to drink water yourself. Your kid's going to want to take a sip of water too. If we only drink coffee or sweet tea or anything that's flavored, your kid's are going to crave that too. So, not only brushing your teeth, but what we drink matters.

Host: Wow. It certainly does. So, wrap it up for us, Dr. Hahn, with your best advice as a Pediatric Dentist, about what you would like parents to know about good dental hygiene, and also this great information you've given us today that could blow up some of the myths about candy and what we've heard dentists say in the past and ways that we can enjoy our sweets without damaging our teeth.

Dr. Hahn: My big summary is it's all about frequency. You can't cut everything away from kids. So, try to stay away from the sticky stuff. Welcome chocolate as much as possible and make sure the last thing to touch your mouth at night time is a toothbrush with some fluoride toothpaste.

Host: What a very concise summary. Thank you so much for such an informative episode, Dr. Hahn. You are welcome back here any time. And that concludes another episode of MomDocs with St. Louis Children's Hospital. For more advice and articles, check out the momdocs website at children'smd.org. For more health tips, you can follow us on your social channels and parents share this show with your friends and family, because we are getting great advice from the MomDocs, from the experts at St. Louis Children's Hospital. I'm Melanie Cole.