- It is much more harmful to your teeth, if you have lots of small sugary snacks throughout the day, than if you have one large binge on sugary things. If you are having lots of snacks, then the sugar is in the mouth for longer and is more likely to feed the bacteria that cause dental decay.
- If you must have a biscuit or your chocolate craving is just getting too much, then do it after you have just had your lunch/dinner. At this time you are salivating the most. Saliva has a washing effect on the teeth and also helps to neutralise plaque acids and so it will at least provide a little extra protection to the teeth.
- The sugar in fruit (intrinsic sugar) is not as damaging to your teeth, as refined sugar (extrinsic sugar). So try to stave off your cravings for sweet things with an apple, cherries or even some grapes.
- Make fruit fun for kids. In summer time frozen grapes are really tasty and a great alternative to sticky, sugary ice pops.
- Try and avoid sweets that take a long time to dissolve and so are in your mouth for longer. Boiled sweets or gob stoppers can take hours to dissolve and remember. The longer that it is in your mouth, the more time the bacteria have to feast on the sugar and increase decay.
- Dental decay is caused by the bacteria in your mouth eating the sugar and producing acid and enzymes that eat away at the tooth surface. So reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth, by brushing your teeth and gums as well as you can, twice a day. It sounds simple, but the cleaner your mouth is, the less likely you are to get dental decay
- Use a fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash. Fluoride hardens the outer surface of your teeth and makes it more resistant to the plaque acids.
- Try to avoid sticky sweets like toffees. The sticky, gloopy sweets will stick in the fissures of the teeth and will therefore remain in the mouth for longer.
- Most soft drinks are full of sugar unless they say otherwise. Particularly kids would much prefer to have orange juice or fizzy pop instead of water, but we see that damage that it does to peoples teeth and it is not pretty! Try to drink water, milk, tea or coffee between meals and keep soft drinks to mealtimes only or special occasions.
- Lastly, anything in moderation. We all like to treat ourselves now and again. But if you are sensible and try not to overdo things a little treat is ok every now and again.
Health
10 Things you should know about your teeth…. DENTAL DECAY
28
Feb
Feb
Did you know?
