By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, a time when dentists across the country spend some extra time with our younger patients to teach them about the effect sugar has on their teeth and how to keep their teeth healthy and strong with regular brushing, flossing, and healthy foods. It’s a great time to remind adults to fight the good fight in the Sugar Wars, too. Here are your Sugar Wars marching orders.
Step 1: Understand Your Enemy
Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay in the United States and around the world. Sugar helps bacteria form plaque on your teeth, a sticky substance that’s tough to remove and causes cavities if allowed to linger.
Americans eat an overabundance of sugar, consuming on average 22 teaspoons every day. That’s nearly half a cup! Teens eat 34 teaspoons daily on average, or nearly ¾ of a cup. Sugary foods not only wreak havoc on your dental hygiene, they can cause you to gain weight and become at risk of weight-related illnesses such as Type II diabetes and heart disease. That’s why the American Heart Association recommends limiting kids’ sugar intake to 3 to 4 teaspoons a day, and teens’ between 5 and 9 teaspoons a day.
It is important to read the Nutritional Labels on the foods you and your family eat. Sugar is clearly labeled in grams. The Nutrition Labels uses the conversion of 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon. Even some foods typically thought of as “healthy,” such as yogurt and health food bars, can contain an excessive amount of sugar.
Step 2: Fight the Good Fight
In addition to reducing the sugary foods you eat and drink, you can help your kids combat the effects of sugar with regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing. Eggert Family Dentistry also recommends sealants to protect your kids’ teeth against cavities. We apply sealants to the hard-to-reach back teeth when the first set of molars comes in between 5 and 7 years of age and again for the second set between 11 and 14. Sealants typically last for about 10 years and can be reapplied.
The Eggert team also believes it’s important that all kids have access to healthy food. That’s why we volunteer at Feed My Starving Children to pack meals for malnourished children across the globe. We’re committed to helping kids all of over the world keep their teeth healthy with good oral habits and healthy eating.
Help your kids fight in the Sugar Wars by arming them with a good and regular brushing and flossing routine, and healthy, low-sugar snacks. For an ally in the fight, contact Eggert Family Dentistry today.