The right amount of sugar consumption for the health of the teeth
Americans consume nearly twice the recommended amount, six to nine teaspoons of sugar per day. Although sugar is found in some famous foods such as soft drinks, candy and other sweets, sugar is also found in foods you would not expect, such as bread and salad. Sugar can be harmful to your oral and dental health, so knowing the amount of sugar you can consume will help keep your teeth and gums healthy.
How does sugar affect your teeth?
Oral saliva mixes with the sugars in the foods you eat and creates a food source for bacteria in oral plaque. This bacteria uses sugar to make acid. The acids produced slowly destroy the tooth enamel and eventually lead to tooth decay.
How much sugar is appropriate to eat?
Sugar consumption is an important factor in oral and dental health. If you have a habit of eating a lot of sugar, you are more prone to possible dental problems. This sugar acts as fuel for acid-producing bacteria that eat away at tooth enamel and make them susceptible to decay. The recommended daily amount of sugar for women should not exceed six teaspoons (25 grams) and the recommended daily amount for men is nine teaspoons (37.5 grams).
Most people consume more sugar than recommended. These guidelines are difficult to follow because one soda can consume 9 teaspoons of sugar! However, proper replacement of sugary foods in your diet can prevent you from eating too much sugar. Replace baking soda, candy, and fizzy drinks with whole foods instead of processed foods as much as possible.
How much sugar is in what you eat?
You may not believe how much sugar you get and be surprised! Maybe you don’t eat a lot of sweets, doughnuts, cookies, or ice cream and you think you’re on the right track with low sugar intake. However, there is sugar in almost everything we eat. Maybe start your day off with a cup of orange juice, in which case you’ve only consumed about 23 grams of sugar, which is pretty close to your daily allowance.
Healthy yogurt can have up to 39 grams of sugar if it is flavored. Reducing and controlling sugar intake is a difficult task, but it can be achieved by using sugar-free products. Chewing sugar-free gum is very useful for curbing sugar and preventing tooth decay.
What to do if you consume sugar?
Even your efforts to control sugar may exceed the appropriate amount. However, if you are proactive in taking care of your oral health and take appropriate measures, you can protect your teeth from damage. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush can remove plaque, and this is essential after consuming sugary foods; also, be sure to visit the dentist twice a year for regular scaling. General dentists in Canada are able to clean all hard-to-reach areas and ensure that there are no cavities; so if you consume more than the recommended amount of sugar, you can have healthy teeth with a proper treatment plan.
