Who doesn’t remember the fun of Flintstones chewable vitamins? They tasted like solid Pixi Stix, yummy and sweet in a crunchy pill version: everything kids love! Those types of chewables have plunged in popularity due to the advent of “gummy” vitamins for children.
Knowing how adults have a fondness for sticky, chewy treats, and how many adults avoid vitamin pills because they hate swallowing them, we now have dozens of choices for grown-ups, including fish oil and calcium supplements. No doubt, gummies are yummy.
However wonderful it is that vitamin manufacturers have found a way to get more adults to take their vitamins, the glucose, corn syrup and sucrose in them are terrible for teeth. There are easily 3-5 grams of sugar in each gummy vitamin. Even worse, the sugar, combined with the gelatin that creates that gummy texture, sticks to the teeth even if you rinse after eating the vitamin. That sticky sugar makes it extremely easy for bacteria to multiply and attack your teeth, resulting in cavities. Add in the enamel-eating citric acid and you have a recipe for dental decay.
Just because something has become popular or a common choice among people does not necessarily mean, it is also the right way to go forward. This statement is especially true in the case of gummy bears. While no one likes to take vitamins because they are boring and prefer to have gummy bears instead, they come at a cost. It is important that you know your intake of gummy bears is affecting your dental health. From getting dental decay to cavities and repercussions of corn syrup – gummy bears are not all rainbows like the media sometimes like to show.
The best and most sincere advice would be to switch to orthodox vitamins instead of their gummy bear versions and keep your teeth protected. But if you are having a hard time getting rid of them, you can start by taking small steps and eventually getting rid of them entirely.
For those who just can’t go without their gummy vitamin, I recommend these two tips:
1. Take gummy vitamin with food, such as when eating breakfast
2. Brush your teeth afterwards, which I hope you do after breakfast anyway.
Sneaky sugars in fun treats like gummy vitamins can do a number on your teeth. Enjoy your gummies but protect your teeth! We love seeing you in the office, but don’t love loading your beautiful smile with fillings!