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National Smile Month: How Sugar Affects Your Teeth

Welcome to our continuing series on Oral health promotion as part of National Smile Month.  Today we’re looking at the second key message of National Smile Month:

• Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks
• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

The reason why this is an important point is that the plaque bacteria in the mouth feed on sugar in foods and drinks. The bacteria then produce acids which attack the enamel of teeth.

Now if you regularly snack on sugary food and drink during the day your teeth will be in a continuous state of acid attack. The acid production will destroy the enamel resulting in dental decay/cavities. It is the frequency of sugar intake throughout the day that will put you at a higher risk of tooth decay.

Here are some tips or you:

If you drink fizzy drinks have them through a straw- that way the drink will by-pass your teeth.

Try eating some cheese this netralises the pH very quicly as cheese is alkaline.

Try savoury snacks rather than sugary ones.