Which is Worse for Your Teeth?

Which is worse for your teeth – eating one hundred M&M’s all at once, or eating one M&M every two minutes until they’re all gone?

Everybody learned early in life that bacteria in the mouth grow when fed sugar. If left alone, the bacteria will cause a cavity. In fact, sugar to bacteria is like catnip to cats – they go wild. Unfortunately one of the waste products of thriving bacteria is acid, and it’s the acid that causes cavities.

But your body is ready for small problems. Saliva can actually neutralize the acid fairly quickly and the harm is minimized. When you have a mouthful of candy and the bacteria go to work, your saliva can minimize the problem to only a small amount of damage.

However, when you feed the bacteria every two minutes, you’re getting an acid exposure each time and each exposure causes more harm.

Don’t eat your candy in small doses all day long, and try to eat your candy with your meals to minimize the acid exposure.