Did you know that on average a child eats and drinks around 5,000 cubes of sugar per year?
Eating too much sugar can seriously be harmful to your teeth and leads to tooth decay. A study says that excessive sugar intake has resulted in a 17% increase on tooth removal operations a day by the NHS since 2014.
Your mouth is full of hundreds of bacteria, many of which are beneficial. Certain harmful oral bacteria can feed on sugars and create acids that destroy the tooth enamel and cause cavities. Without dental treatments, cavities can progress past the enamel into deeper layers of the tooth causing severe tooth pain and even tooth loss.
There are many simple swaps you can do to help lower your child’s sugar intake and help prevent them from having dental problems. It is proven that fizzy drinks can damage your children’s teeth, plain water, lower-fat milk or no added sugar drinks are healthier alternatives. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so by having baked beans on a grainy English muffin, a boiled egg with whole grain toast, porridge, an apple with low-fat/greek yoghurt or two Weetabix with lower fat milk can replace cereals with high sugar content.
It is advised to limit constant snacking throughout the day as it causes a build-up of food and bacteria throughout. Instead of having chocolate, sweets and biscuits provide healthier snacks like fruit, chopped raw vegetables, plain rice cakes or toast with low-fat spread.
It is important to make sure your child has regular 6-month checkups if you suspect that your child may have a cavity or they have tooth pain make sure you book an appointment as soon as possible. Here at Roy Morris Dental Excellence, we offer preventative dental care treatment for all ages. If you would like to discuss your Childs smile contact us here…