The damaging effects of sugar on teeth and tips for being sweets smart.
A group of children discuss their sweet eating habits. Some are aware that sweets are bad for their teeth. A couple of them already have fillings. Overall the children are unconcerned about tooth decay caused by sugary foods.
Deirdre Sadlier, Executive Director of the Irish Dental Health Foundation says children should understand how sweets cause tooth decay. She explains it is a combination of factors; the amount of sugar, how often it is in the mouth, and dental plaque. Bacteria in the plaque feed on the sugar and create acids that attack the teeth for up to 30 minutes,
This acid slowly burns holes in teeth.
This acid cannot be seen or felt, it is difficult to convey the danger it poses to teeth, because for children, it is a distant event.
Sweets do not have to be cut out from the diet entirely. Children can still have sweets without ruining their teeth. Deirdre Sadlier explains how. The consumption of sweets should be controlled rather than being an everyday snack,
One session during the week, or at the most two.
She also notes that some are worse for your teeth than others. Chewy sweets that stick to the teeth allow the sugar to linger longer in the mouth. These are the sweets children often prefer.
I really go for the cheap ones because I don't want to spend my money all in the one go.
Sweets should be eaten in one sitting rather than prolonging them throughout the day.
In addition, dentist Dr Liam Convery advises regular dental check-ups.
Many people don't come to the dentist until it's already too late they have an actual cavity, or they even may have a toothache.
This episode of 'Check Up' was broadcast on 12 December 1989.The reporter is Siobhan Cleary.
'Check Up' was a weekly health show presented by Ciana Campbell and Siobhan Cleary. It examined how people cope with various health issues "from medics to migraine, hi-tech to low-fat, heart attacks to heartburn". (RTE Guide, Sept 30, 1988, p.25). ‘Check Up’ continued for 9 series between 1988 and April 1996.
