Do you know what sugar is doing to your teeth?

Sugar. We know it’s bad for us, but it can just be so addictive.

Sugar is naturally occurring in many foods, but it’s the added sugar in many processed foods and drinks that can really be doing damage to our oral and general health. We know that a high sugar intake can cause health problems such as Type II Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and of course, obesity.

In particular, the popularity of sugary drinks such as Coke, Solo, Fanta and energy drinks such as Red Bull and V have caused major dental problems for many teens and young adults. These dental problems often have lasting effects for the person’s life time.

These drinks are particularly bad for teeth as the sugar in them contributes to tooth decay as it acts as fuel for the acid-causing bacteria that causes tooth decay. These drinks are also very acidic, (I’m sure you’ve all heard of Coke being more acidic than a car battery), which also worsens the risk of tooth decay, and also causes tooth erosion. This is a condition where the outer surface of the tooth becomes progressively eroded away by continuous intake of acidic food and drinks. Once this damage has been done, it is irreversible, and can cost many thousands of dollars to treat.

Unfortunately, sugar-free drink options are not a lot better. They don’t have sugar, but they still have a high acid content, which will still cause your teeth to erode.

It often helps to start good habits young. For those of you who are parents of young kids, here are some useful tips:

1. Try and limit your child’s exposure to sugary foods and drinks.
2. Read labels carefully to check sugar content. One of the common foods with hidden sugars that gets forgotten is yoghurt. It is often high in sugar.
3. Encourage your child to drink water or milk. There isn’t any need for your child to drink juices or soft drinks. Even fruit juices can be high in sugar, and citrus juices are also acidic.
4. Limit lolly and chocolate intake. It is better if these types of foods are consumed at main meal times, rather than snacking throughout the day. Sticky lollies can also be very bad for teeth as they get stuck in the grooves and pits on the biting surfaces of teeth and increase tooth decay risk.
5. Try to encourage fruit as a sweet treat where possible.

Remember, if you don’t buy the foods, your kids will be less likely to eat them!

As a guide, here is a table showing recommended sugar intake for children each day.

Teenagers in particular can be very high risk for tooth decay and erosion caused by excess consumption of sugary drinks. In Australia, 73% of young people (14-18 years) are consuming too much sugar. The damage to their teeth can become very severe in a very short space of time.

The current recommendation for an adult Australian on a diet of 8700kJ a day by WHO is to keep sugar at 10% of total energy, which means consuming no more than 55 grams or 13 teaspoons of sugar per day.

To give you a rough guide, here is a table of sugar amounts in common drinks, which is from the Rethink Sugary Drink website.

How much sugar is in …?