Sugary Snacks: Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know

Why regular small treats outside of mealtimes could cause more trouble than you think.

Traditionally, people in Kent would have eaten three main meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. This has been the basic eating pattern for a long time.

Over the last twenty to thirty years we have seen a change in eating patterns, with fewer people cooking at home and relying more on sugary laced takeaways from Dartford and Kent, plus snacking throughout the day.

Unhealthy snacks

Snacks are rarely healthy and tend to be high in fats and sugars. Whilst the fats can lead to general health issues, sugar is the main problem for causing tooth decay for patients of Dartford Road Dental Centre.

Some sugary snacks are fairly obvious, such as chocolate bars, cakes and fizzy drinks but even savoury snacks will contain sugar.

Added together, these can significantly increase the amount of tooth damaging sugar that we consume each day.

Acidity and remineralisation

When we eat food, the enamel on our teeth softens for a while before remineralising ready for the next meal.

By eating at short intervals, ie snacking, our teeth don’t get the chance to fully recover and this can cause the enamel to erode and wear down.

This can result in very sensitive teeth and also highly increases the risk of tooth decay.

Dietary tips

• After eating, allow at least 30-60 minutes for your teeth to remineralise so that they are well protected before brushing.
• Low sugar snacks such as breadsticks and raw vegetables are ideal to snack in-between meals as they contain very low sugar.

Hopefully this blog will enable you to reassess your eating habits, making them more tooth friendly in the future.

If you have already suffered damage to your teeth, our fantastic team of dentists and hygienists at Dartford Road Dental Centre are available Mondays – Saturday for advice and information.