Halloween Treats

It’s that time of the year where many are celebrating old tradition with a new twist. Any excuse for a party! Also wandering the streets at night for those wonderful treats, with not much tricking! Remember sugar, many years ago, was an expensive commodity, and now it’s everywhere. So much so that parents think their child is missing out if they don’t have sugar all the time. You see people have replaced water with soft drinks and sweets and lollies have become part their regular diet.

Even so called healthy foods that claim they are low fat are really high in sugar!

The stuff is everywhere, so much so that it’s become addictive!

The decay rate has started to climb back up. The over use of sugar has seen the diabetes rate climb. It’s not good as people find it difficult to get off the “stuff” as they’ve been trained from a very young have that not having treats means you are missing out! Yes, missing out on decay and diabetes.

There are alternatives to sugar and they are artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet, NatraTaste Blue), Sucralose (Splenda), Acesulfame K (ACE K, Sunette, Equal Spoonful, Sweet One, Sweet ‘n Safe), Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low, Sweet Twin), Xylitol, Sorbitol, Stevia. Some artificial sweeteners have their own issues which we will explore later on.

I even found vegan ice cream with no animal products and sweetened with Stevia. What will they think of next!

From a purely dental point of view, these sweeteners reduce the risk of decay, as the bacteria in the mouth metabolise them to an alcohol which does not harm the surface of the enamel. Sugar, on the other hand, is converted by the bacteria to lactic acid. This is absorbed into the enamel and starts to weaken the enamel BELOW the surface, causing to become porous and a white patch. I have always wondered why people want “white” teeth. White in teeth means weak, soft and damaged. Anyway that’s for another blog!

Even artificially sweetened drinks can be very harsh on enamel as they are often acidic and contain caffeine. An acidic mouth makes the enamel soft, so can easily be worn down. Caffeine causes the mouth to be drier by being less watery and more mucous.  Saliva protects the enamel. No saliva means decay is out of control!

Prevention is always better than cure. Reduce having the “stuff” and enjoy a healthier lifestyle free of decay and the severe problems that diabetes brings.

Next week: More on Dr Mary Hatem