Protecting Your Teeth From The Sugar Rush
We all know it’s a fact…don’t eat sugar, it’s bad for your teeth right? Good that’s out of the way and a slam dunk. BUT what do you do when you have a craving and consume a huge bag of cinema sweet popcorn like I did last week? Yes even dentists do become human late at night….but don’t tell anyone!
How does sugar cause the damage? Basically the bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugar to create an acidic environment that softens the enamel of your teeth (The posh term for this is demineralisation) They can then burrow deeper and deeper into the tooth, causing damage as they go resulting in cavities and pain
SO I thought I would share some tips for damage limitation
1. Eat it all in one go…yup you read that right! It takes about an hour for your mouth to neutralise the effect of any sugar attack. So the more you graze, the more likely the cavities.
Eating the whole bag in 10mins like I did is actually better than picking at it for hours!
2. Protect your enamel beforehand. Ideally brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste before eating anything sweet. I know it seems premeditated, but you wouldn’t go into battle without putting on your armour and combat gear first
3. An alternative is to use a fluoride mouthwash instead or even smearing toothpaste over your teeth then spitting out instead of rinsing it. The fluoride will help coat the enamel surface
4. Munch on sugar free gum, it increases the saliva in your mouth so helps neutralise the acid the bacteria produce. Only chew for about 10mins or until the flavour goes or you start a new set of problems as overchewing can cause cracks and breakage of teeth and even Joint problems
5.DO NOT brush your teeth straight after eating anything sweet…ever! The enamel is soft and vulnerable and you would be in effect brushing it away. Do everything suggested above instead
6. Go see your dentist regularly so they can spot any problem early and advise you
7. Eating anything sweet as part of your main meal is ok because you are producing lots of saliva…but I know it’s the ‘inbetween’ snacking that’s usually the problem!
Above all, enjoy…..those teeth were made for eating, smiling and anything else that makes you happy 
So look after them!
Dr Okoye, I saw you in the papers today . Now I am also keen on the hygiene of my teeth.
I wanted to check if anything could be done for me.
I have the worse smile ever and a few of the NHS dentist have told me nothing can be done. both my sister and I have teeth where the gap in the middle is huge and when we do smile most f our gum comes out. I have been called the predator once because of this. My sister’s gap is the size of one of her tooth. Now if it too late fir me what about my kids my daughter seems to be following the trend too .
Well,you have no choice just to find a new dentist for you,actually it much better when you try the ability of other dentist eventhough you have your own dentist before but the thing is,be optimistic. Keep up the good work.