Here are some thought about what to do during that time of year when coughs, colds and flu can make your child’s life miserable. Besides, these can strike any time of year! And like many people, you’ll probably reach for extra multi-vitamins or an over-the-counter medication to ease your little ones symptoms. But did you know that spoonful of medicine or tablet of vitamin could add tooth decay to your list of side effects?
Many cough drops, liquid medications, and tablet/gummy vitamins contain a variety of ingredients that make your teeth more susceptible to decay:
Ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and sucrose contribute to decay when the bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugars, breaking them down and forming acids that attack the enamel of your teeth.
Ingredients such as citric acid can wear down the enamel of your teeth. In addition, some antihistamine syrups contain low pH levels and high acidity, which can be a dangerous combination for your teeth.
The addition of alcohol in some popular cold and cough syrups also has a drying effect on the mouth. Saliva helps to naturally rinse the sugars and acids away from your teeth – so with less saliva present, the sugars and acids remain in the mouth even longer, leading to greater risk for decay.
Gummy vitamins not only often have added sugars in them, they also are super sticky and can stay stuck onto your child’s teeth, increasing exposure to sugar and therefore increasing cavity risk.
These risks can be magnified if medication is taken after brushing, but before bedtime. The effects of taking liquid medication before bedtime aren’t much different than drinking juice or soda before bedtime – because you produce less saliva while you sleep, sugar and acids remain in contact with the teeth longer, increasing your risk for decay.
What’s the remedy?
There are things you can do to lessen the effects of the sugars and acids in liquid medication.
Take liquid medication at meal times instead of bedtime so that more saliva is produced to rinse away the sugars and acids.
Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste after taking medication.
If you can’t brush, rinse your mouth well with water or chew sugar-free gum after taking liquid medication.
Take calcium supplements or use topical fluoride after using liquid medication.
If it’s available, choose a pill form of the medication instead of syrup.
Look for sugar-free products or those sweetened with Xylitol.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.