You can "snack smart" to protect yourself from tooth decay. When you're deciding about snacks, think about:

• the number of times a day you eat sugary snacks

• how long the sugary food stays in your mouth

• the texture of the sugary food (chewy? sticky?)

Certain kinds of sweets can do more damage than others. Gooey or chewy sweets spend more time sticking to the surface of your teeth. Because sticky snacks stay in your mouth longer than foods that you quickly chew and swallow, they give your teeth a longer sugar bath.

You should also think about when and how often you eat snacks. Do you nibble on sugary snacks many times throughout the day, or do you usually just have dessert after dinner? Damaging acids form in your mouth every time you eat a sugary snack. The acids continue to affect your teeth for at least 20 minutes before they are neutralized and can't do any more harm. So, the more times you eat sugary snacks during the day, the more often you feed bacteria the fuel they need to cause tooth decay.

If you eat sweets, it's best to eat them as dessert after a main meal instead of several times a day between meals. Whenever you eat sweets -- in any meal or snack -- brush your teeth well with a žuoride toothpaste afterward.

If you snack other times during the day, choose something without a lot of sugar or fat. Low-fat choices like raw vegetables, fresh fruits, or whole-grain crackers or bread are smart choices. Eating the right foods can help protect you from tooth decay and other diseases. Next time you reach for a snack, pick a food from the list inside or make up your own menu of non-sugary, low-fat snack foods from the basic food groups.

Thanks to everyone who has submitted input. I'm sorry to say I'm not updating this Dental FAQ site anymore. --Webmaster

See also: supplemental dental plans.