We’ve waged war for decades against tooth decay through oral hygiene and the increasing use of fluoride, nature’s “super weapon” against this disease. And yet, tooth decay remains a significant health problem.
One major reason is refined sugar found in many processed foods. In the 1970s researchers raised concerns about the fat content of many processed foods, so manufacturers began removing fat from their products — along with much of the flavor. To compensate, they added sugar. Today, three-quarters of approximately 600,000 food products contain sugar.
This has increased average individual consumption to 90 pounds of sugar annually. The World Health Organization says we should consume no more than 20 pounds annually, or about 6 teaspoons a day. A single can of soda contains 4 teaspoons, two-thirds of the daily allowance.
High sugar consumption is an obvious threat to dental health: decay-causing bacteria thrive on it. But the trend has also been linked to serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
Hopefully, changes in public policy will one day modify the addition of sugar in processed foods. In the meantime, you can take action for yourself and your family to create a more healthy relationship with this popular carbohydrate.
Shop wisely. Learn to read and understand food labels: steer clear of those containing sugar or large numbers of ingredients. Become acquainted with sugar’s many other “names” like corn syrup or evaporated cane juice. And maximize your shopping on a store’s outer perimeters where you’ll find fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products, rather than the middle aisles with “boxed” processed items.
Avoid sugar-added drinks. Limit consumption of sodas, sports drinks, sweet teas or even juice to avoid added sugar. Make water or sugar-free beverages your go-to drinks. It’s much better to eat sugar naturally found in fresh fruits and vegetables, where fiber helps slow it’s absorption in the body, than to drink it.
Exercise. Depending on your condition, physical exertion is good for your overall health. It’s especially beneficial for your body’s ability to metabolize sugar. So with your doctor’s advice, exert your body every day.
It’s important to engender a proper relationship with sugar — a little can go a long way. Putting sugar in its rightful place can help you avoid tooth decay and increase your chances of greater overall health.
So, follow Ellen DeGeneres's advice she gave Tulane University graduates during a commencement speech: “Remember to exfoliate, moisturize, exercise…and floss.” The latter, along with brushing, will certainly help keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Your smile is your greatest asset, which is why your whole image suffers when you are missing teeth. Fortunately, there are many tooth replacement options available to give you a natural-looking, beautiful smile. Dr. David Salah at Progressive Dental Group in Novi, Michigan, offers a full line of tooth replacement options to give you a new smile.
When you choose tooth replacement, you want your choice to look natural and to fit in with your lifestyle. These tooth replacement options give you a beautiful smile and you will enjoy the convenience of easy maintenance too. Consider:
Dental implants, which look just like natural teeth. You clean them just like natural teeth too, by brushing and flossing. Dental implants don’t move around because they are firmly embedded in bone. They also help you maintain and conserve bone, so you keep your firm jawline and youthful facial contours.
Dental appliances, which offer the convenience of easy removal for cleaning. Partial dentures are designed to replace several missing teeth while full dentures are designed to replace an entire arch of teeth, either upper, lower, or both arches. They fit well, are sturdy, and built to last.
Dental bridges, which are prosthetic teeth suspended over the space where you are missing teeth. The teeth on both sides of the space receive dental crowns and the bridge is cemented onto the crowned teeth for support. You can brush a dental bridge and floss underneath it with the help of floss threaders.