What Makes Them So Tasty?
Making sure your children stay healthy is very important for parents. You may worry about their diet, so gummy vitamins are a popular choice for supplementing what a child eats. But there’s a dark side to these gummies that may include higher dental bills! Here are some important points to consider about children’s multi-vitamins, presented by our Yuba City family dentists.
The Sticky Truth Behind Hidden Sugar
Gummy vitamins are a hit with youngsters because they taste good, and they taste good because they’re packed with sugar. Gummy vitamins are really just like gummy bears or gummy worms, but with vitamins as part of their ingredients! In fact, most gummy vitamins have up to seven times more sugar than a standard multivitamin.
To compare, one of the best-selling gummy vitamins contains 3 grams of sugar per serving. The same amount of gummy bears actually contains a little less sugar, at 2.5 grams. A single sugar cube contains 2.3 grams of sugar. What does this mean for your children’s teeth?
Gummies are essentially sticky candy with nutrients, but they still coat the teeth with sugar, increasing the risk of cavities. Over a long period of time, the very supplement you thought was helping your child may be harming them, their health and their teeth. This is especially the case if you are also attempting to limit your child’s sugar intake for other medical reasons.
Vitamins are Vital
Vitamins are an important part of many people’s health care regimen, so is there a better alternative to gummy vitamins? Yes, and although your kids may not like the less sugary option, it’s a better one. Ordinary chewable vitamins are a good choice if you want supplements, because they are not sticky and have less (or no) sugar. Give the vitamin to your child at the same time each day and have them swish out their mouth with water after taking it to remove any leftover powder residue. Flavors are available that make these vitamins palatable. And always consider the information label of any supplement product. What the “front” of the container says is mostly advertising. It’s the ingredients label that must reflect the facts, due to federal law. Read that to find out what’s really in your vitamins, especially when you’re looking to avoid sugar.
But They’re Just One Part
Choosing the right vitamin is just one step in a healthy mouth care routine. Eating a balanced diet with a variety of foods, fruits and vegetables may even make it unnecessary to take any supplementation. In either case, your Yuba City family dentists also encourage parents to help their children establish a good relationship with their dentist as soon as possible. Look at dental visits as a positive, semi-annual event. Throughout the year, train your children to brush twice a day for two minutes each time and have them floss before they go to bed. By monitoring what they eat and how they clean their teeth, we give our children a better dental future.
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