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Avoid a visit from the tooth fairy this Christmas
Fruit cake, cranberry sauce and candy canes are likely to be some of the biggest contributors to tooth decay this festive season, Hunter New England Health warns.
Clinical Director for Hunter New England Oral Health Dr Lanny Chor said while sweet foods and treats were commonly part of a balanced Christmas lunch, it was important to maintain good oral health over the Christmas season.
“Sugar is commonly found in cakes, sweets and drinks, and even savoury dishes. We not only eat more sugar, but also have it more frequently over the Christmas period,” Dr Chor said.
“Frequency is as bad as quantity because the constant sugar levels stop saliva from doing its job, which is keeping the right pH levels in the mouth.
“Sugar provides bacteria with the fuel that produces acids which cause tooth decay, and as we know, most Christmas treats are full of sugar.
“One of the problems with the Christmas cake, chocolate coated peanuts, candy canes, glace cherries and champagne is that there is often a continual period of eating between Christmas and New Year, exposing teeth to continuous acid attacks,” he said.
“Short exposure to sugar can more easily be controlled by saliva, but extended sugar consumption makes it harder,” Dr Chor said.
Recent data from the World Health Organisation show Australians eat an average of 63 kilograms of sugar per person per year – more than a kilogram each a week.
According to NSW Health figures, most sugar we eat is contained in processed or pre-packaged foods, whereas home-prepared drinks and meals generally have a lower sugar content.
“All soft drinks, juice and alcohol, diet or otherwise, contain acid and an increasing problem among regular consumers of popular soft drinks is acid erosion of tooth enamel,” Dr Chor said.
In some age groups this has led to alarming dental disease that is both debilitating and expensive to fix.
“Over the Christmas period, eat sensibly, brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste, especially before sleeping, and invest in looking after your teeth for the long term,” Dr Chor said.
“Make a 2008 resolution to maintain healthy teeth for life. Watch your diet for sugar intake, brush teeth twice daily, book in for regular dental visits and combine fluoridated water with a fluoride-based toothpaste for strong teeth,” he said.
The best times to clean teeth are after breakfast and before bedtime.
What will Christmas lunch do to your teeth?
Slice of fruit cake twelve teaspoons of sugar
Two candy canes ten teaspoons of sugar
Cranberry sauce eight teaspoons of sugar
Glass of champagne eight teaspoons of sugar
Piece of nougat four teaspoons of sugar
Baked potato less than one teaspoon of sugar
Two slices of ham less than one teaspoon of sugar
Contact: Nicole Fuller
Phone: (02) 6767 7136
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