As everyone knows, sugar and tooth decay go hand in hand. Particularly around Easter time and other special occasions, it’s easy to allow too many sugars for both ourselves and our children, but we should try to change and control the type of food that we and our family eat! So let’s learn more about it.
Sugar is one of the most important dietary issues that we should focus on. Sugar has been in the media spotlight quite a bit in recent times because of the growing obesity epidemic, but it is just as bad for our teeth. Tooth decay is caused when you mix sugar and plaque bacteria. All sugars (Sucrose in sweets, fructose in fruit, lactose in milk, maltose in starch, can be a problem. So what can we do?

How Sugar Damages Teeth

As far as teeth are concerned, frequency of intake of sugar is what causes damage, rather than the quantity. For example, having a square of chocolate rather than a whole bar won’t make a difference. Any small amount of sugar absorbed by the plaque bacteria leads to acid production in the mouth. Eventually, after up to an hour, your saliva will neutralize the acids and prevent further damage. Therefore, the worst mistake is to spread out the treats over time!

Tips To Reduce Sugar Consumption

The Shopping Basket:
Try to fill the shopping basket with foods which do not have added sugars. Such high glycaemic index foods cause spikes and troughs in blood sugar levels. Read the labels carefully, as there are lots of foods with hidden sugar. This is the easiest way to reduce sugar consumption, as if it is brought into the house, it will be eaten! While carbohydrates always contain some form of sugar and as such can contribute to decay, they release their sugars more gradually and thus do not cause such blood sugar peaks and troughs and resulting cravings! Therefore there will be less tendency to snack and graze throughout the day and ultimately less decay.

Now, I know that it is almost impossible to prevent our kids from having sweets. Neither do we want to be the home that our children’s friends do not want to visit because it’s a no treat home! But we must still restrict easy access to those sugars. Maybe have just one day a week as a Treat Day! Or better still, bring the children out to the shop for a treat. Just try not to have treats in the house.

What about brushing?

While brushing can help, restricting sugar exposure is far more beneficial.

What about chewing gum?

Yes! Sugar free gum stimulates more saliva. And it’s the saliva that can neutralize the acid so the damage can be reduced. But the chewing gum is only beneficial immediately after eating sugars especially during that initial 20 minutes.

Easter is fast approaching and our homes are going to be loaded with those processed sugars. It’s not realistic to expect abstinence! Just keep in mind that it is the frequency that matters. Let them enjoy it but do not allow them to graze on Easter eggs and chocolate for several days. The excessive abundance needs to be controlled. Stick to your one treat day each week.
Healthy bodies and healthy smiles depend on it!

Happy Easter!