Happy Dental Health Week from our dentists in Maryborough!
Dental Health Week is a campaign organised by the Australian Dental Association (ADA) that raises awareness and educates Australians on the importance of their oral health. This year’s theme focuses on sugar and its effects on our teeth.
Sugar has a direct connection to tooth decay, which is the most prevalent dental problem, affecting more than 90% of adults at some point in their life. Too much sugar reacts with the bacteria in your mouth to produce acid which destroys tooth enamel and causes cavities.
It’s recommended that we consume 6 teaspoons or less of sugar per day, however, Australians commonly eat more because they simply don’t understand food labels and nutritional information.
When it comes to sugar, here’s the best advice that our dentists in Maryborough can give you:
1. Understand “Sugar-free” VS “No added sugars”
2. Know the tricks to reading food labels
While taglines such as “no added sugars” do give you some information about what’s in a food product, nothing is as accurate as the nutritional panel on the back of the package. Understanding how to read this could mean the difference between feeding your family foods that are healthy or filled with hidden sugars or too much sugar.
- Compare foods by checking the ‘quantity per 100 grams’ column: You should aim to buy products that have 10 grams or less of sugar per 100 grams. Anything under 5 grams is ideal, however, anything over 15 grams is too much, so you may want to opt for an alternative.
- Read the label even for foods you consider healthy: Foods such as muesli bars can also contain a high amount of hidden sugars. It helps to get into the habit of checking labels for all foods until you have a better understanding of hidden sugars.
- Look at the ingredients list: The closer to the top of the list the ingredient is, the more sugar present.
- Look out for hidden sugars
Another trick you should be aware of is that sugars can be hidden under a range of common names. When checking the ingredients list on foods, look out for the following:
- Fructose
- Glucose
- Syrups (golden syrup, malt syrup, corn syrup)
- Agave nectar
- Maltose
- Molasses
- Rice malt
- Dextrose
- Saccharose
- Sucrose
- Treacle
For more tips during Dental Health Week, like us on Facebook.
Are you due for a visit to the dentist? Perhaps you want to cut down on your sugar consumption? Visit our dentists in Maryborough for expert advice and services.
We’re currently offering a Special Offer – Check-Up and Clean for just 4 equal payments of $48.75. Give us a call on (07) 4122 2110 or book online. Or visit here for a list of our other current promotions.
