As Halloween is approaching, parents and dentists alike are bracing for the consequences of the annual holiday candy-fest: the post-holiday cavity-fest. Prevention might be as easy as just saying no, but as long as kids love candy, they’re probably going to get cavities.
If only there were a kind of candy that didn’t cause cavities, one that actually prevented them. Well, it turns out there might be: BasicBites, a chocolate confection that’s designed to strengthen your teeth instead to protect against cavities instead of weakening them and causing cavities. This innovation in preventive dentistry could be very helpful this Halloween season!
How BasicBites Combat Cavities
The essential problem that causes cavities is that our teeth are vulnerable to attack by acid. Even relatively mild acids can cause our tooth enamel–strong in other ways–to break down. The problem is that oral bacteria living on our teeth eat sugar and transform it into acid. The acid then attacks the enamel. It removes minerals from teeth, creating what are known as lesions in the enamel. Left unprotected, these lesions will turn into cavities–literal holes in the teeth.
But what we didn’t know is that alongside the damaging bacteria, there are other bacteria that eat different foods and instead of producing acid, they produce bases, which neutralize acid and create an environment where the teeth absorb minerals rather than lose them.
BasicBites are sugar-free candies that contain nutrients for these base-producing bacteria, an amino acid known as arginine. It also includes calcium and bicarbonate. Calcium is a mineral that teeth can take up, and bicarbonate is both a buffer to neutralize acid and a chemical catalyst that helps teeth absorb calcium.
But Do They Work?
Obviously, the theory of BasicBites is sound, but in practice how well do they work? The science seems to hold up in practice. In a one-year clinical trial, 200 kids were randomly assigned to get either BasicBites or a placebo candy that looked and tasted the same, but without the arginine, calcium, and bicarbonate. Kids got the candies twice a day: once at school and once by parents at home after brushing their teeth.
Over that year, children receiving BasicBites had a 42% reduction in the progression of demineralized lesions to true cavities.
I guess a candy a day (or two) keeps the dentist away!
Modern Dentistry Can Protect, Repair, and Replace Your Teeth
BasicBites are just another major innovation in modern dentistry. It’s a simple way to supplement your normal oral hygiene and preventive routine. And it’s an easy one to adopt: just add a couple pieces of candy to your diet and see your cavity risk decline.
Finally, your sweet tooth can be a healthy tooth!
Modern dentistry has so many ways to protect your teeth, such as BasicBites. In addition, we can repair badly damaged teeth with highly cosmetic ceramic crowns. Plus, even if a tooth gets lost, we can replace it with a dental implant that looks and functions just like a natural tooth.
To learn more about the benefits of modern dentistry in Butler, PA, please call (724) 282-4436 today for an appointment with our dentist Dr. Bob at Advanced Dentistry of Butler.
