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Berkshire Pediatric Dentistry Answers the Cavity Question

The How, the Why, & the Where during Children's Dental Health Month

By Neha Das, DDS, MS (Berkshire Pediatric Dentistry) February 15, 2022

Nobody likes getting cavities, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to stop them. In order to understand how to stop cavities, we need to understand why they happen. 

Essentially, there are bacteria in your mouth that consume the sugars in the food you eat and produce acid. This acid can break down the mineral in your teeth, which causes cavities. Your spit helps to re-harden your teeth over time, but if you end up having too much acid in your mouth too often, then your spit can’t effectively neutralize it, and you end up with cavities.

So how do we avoid cavities? It can be hard to avoid them completely, but here are a few tips:

  • Brush twice a day and floss once a day

Cleaning your teeth effectively will help to make sure that sugar and plaque don’t linger in your mouth. Without sugar and a plaque scaffold, the bacteria can’t grow and produce acid. That’s so important if you want to prevent cavities.

A lot of people understand the importance of brushing but wonder why flossing is necessary. Unfortunately, toothbrush bristles cannot fit between teeth that are touching. You need floss to get the sugars out of those areas so you don’t get cavities where your teeth touch.

  • Avoid grazing

Every time you eat or drink anything other than water, your mouth becomes more acidic for 20 minutes (that’s how long it takes for your spit to neutralize the acid). If you are constantly eating or drinking and exposing your mouth to sugars, then your mouth is always going to be acidic. This weakens your teeth and also promotes the growth of the bad bacteria that like to create cavities.

  • Avoid sugary and acidic food and drinks

Your dentist probably talks a lot about making sure you avoid sticky/gummy food and that you drink a lot of water. The reason is that it’s important to avoid foods and drinks that are acidic and/or sugary since that contributes to getting cavities. The less often you have sugary food, the better. And be careful what you drink! The bulletin board we made (below) shows you where some sugars like to hide.


  • Look out for hidden sugars

Here’s a quick quiz. 

Which do you think has more sugar?

  • A glazed donut
  • Thomas brand cinnamon swirl bagel
  • Almonds and Apricots in Yogurt KIND bar
  • ½ cup serving of Motts applesauce
  • 5.3 oz Dannon Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (Cherry)

If you said the applesauce or the yogurt, you’d be right! Both contain a whopping 22g of sugar. The KIND bar has 16g of sugar, and the bagel has 11g. Believe it or not, the glazed donut actually has the LEAST amount of sugar (10g). We all know we need to limit the number of donuts we eat, but sometimes foods that are advertised as health foods are actually loaded with sugar.


Berkshire Pediatric Dentistry is a family-oriented practice built on a love for children and the desire to make them comfortable with dentistry. We view each child as a unique individual who must be treated as such to accomplish our goals of a positive dental experience and quality care. We hope to establish a lifelong relationship of trust and confidence with you and your child. Part of our gentle approach includes creating a comfortable and fun environment for children. Our team is committed to family-oriented dental care and we encourage parents to play an active role in their child’s oral health.

77 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Phone: (413) 442-0122 Email: office@childrens-teeth.com