Ann-Marie Banks, from Apollonia House Dental and Health Care in Grasscroft, looks at the connection between healthy gums and a healthy body
AS THE festive season approaches, here is just a little reminder about how sugar causes tooth decay and how to protect your teeth.
Decay happens when sugars in food and drinks react with bacteria in plaque, forming acids.
Every time you eat or drink anything containing sugars, these acids attack the teeth and start to soften and dissolve the enamel.
The attacks can last for an hour after eating or drinking, before the natural salts in your saliva cause the enamel to ‘remineralise’ and harden again.
It’s not just sugars that are harmful: other types of carbohydrate foods and drinks react with plaque and form acids. These are the ‘fermentable’ carbohydrates such as the ‘hidden sugars’ in processed food, natural sugars in fruit and cooked starches.
Snacking between meals on sugary or acidic foods and drinks can increase the risk of decay as the teeth come under constant attack and do not have time to recover.
It is better for your teeth and general health if you eat three well balanced meals a day plus no more than two snacks. If you do need to snack between meals, choose foods that do not contain sugar.
Fruit does contain acids, which can attack your teeth. However, this is only if you eat large amounts. Try to limit dried fruit as it is high in sugar and can stick to your teeth.
If you do eat fruit as a snack, try to eat something alkaline such as cheese afterwards. Savoury snacks are better, such as raw vegetables, nuts, cheese and breadsticks.
It is important you brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with a fluoride toothpaste. The best times are before breakfast and last thing at night before you go to bed.
It is especially important to brush before bed. This is because the flow of saliva, which is your mouth’s own cleaning system, slows down during the night and leaves your teeth more at risk from decay.
Eating and drinking naturally weakens the enamel on your teeth and brushing straight afterwards can cause tiny particles of enamel to be brushed away. It is best not to brush until at least one hour after eating.
Children up to three years old should use toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1000ppm (parts per million). Three-year-olds to adults should use toothpaste that contains 1350ppm to 1500ppm of fluoride.
Contact Apollonia House Dental and Health on 01457821800 for advice or visit the website www.apolloniahouse.co.uk
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