06/23/2025
The number one most cavity-causing food isn’t candy; it’s crackers.
Let’s talk about what happens when you eat a goldfish cracker: Ever noticed how saltine crackers or Goldfish become sticky in your mouth as you’re chewing them? That sticky goo gets stuck between your teeth and the bacteria can feast for even longer. You can mitigate this damage by rinsing with water right afterward or drinking a lot of water—but kids tend to not be very good at this.
Just like any organism, after bacteria have a meal, they have to “go to the bathroom” afterward—and this is the stuff that causes bad breath and tooth decay.
💩Yup, you can blame that on bacteria literally “pooping” in your mouth. I use that word to impress my pediatric patients and I encourage you to explain it this way to your children as well. My grandchildren certainly love the analogy, and I encourage you to use it with your kids and/or pediatric patients too!
Eating simple starches once or twice won’t make your teeth rot—what I’m most concerned about as a dentist is years of cumulative habits, in other words, if goldfish crackers are a daily staple in the house because that’s when we see dental issues in the chair.
This is why it’s CRUCIAL to work with a dentist who is focused on PREVENTION in addition to being there for you for dental work. Check out the free lookup tool on my website to find a dentist like this near you: ✨askthedentist.com/directory✨Comment FIND if you’d like me to DM you the link.
