Healthy Smile Series: Why children should brush their teeth

Sugar is the enemy of healthy chompers; brushing gets rid of it

Mornings used to be pretty hectic in the Bennett household. Kids had to be woken up. Dogs had to be let out. Breakfast had to be eaten. And last but not least, teeth had to be brushed. Getting all of this done with two kids, three dogs and only two parents was very tricky. But somehow we managed. And now that our kids are older, things have gotten a lot easier.

Today we’re going to focus on one of the most annoying things parents ask you to do: brush your teeth. Although it only takes a couple of minutes twice a day, brushing your teeth is an awful, rotten, unfair, boring, ridiculous waste of time. Just kidding. Brushing your teeth is an important part of personal hygiene that even animals take care of — at least the ones that have teeth.

Animals don’t use toothbrushes, of course, but they chew and gnaw on objects to keep their teeth clean.

The main thing that separates humans from animals in the dental realm is sugar. If we didn’t have sugar in our diet, we would have much less tooth decay. Why? Because sugar is the enemy of healthy teeth. Here’s why: Our bodies are filled with bacteria. Most of these microscopic organisms are harmless. However, as far as teeth are concerned, the story is a little different. Like larger animals (us, for example) bacteria produce waste products after they consume (eat) nutrients. Among the waste products produced by mouth bacteria are acids that can damage tooth enamel. (Enamel is an extremely strong material that makes up the outside of your teeth.) These acids are too mild for you to feel, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Because the bacteria in your mouth love “sweets,” they will gorge themselves on any sugar that coats your teeth. The acids they leave behind create pits in your enamel like a prospector digging for gold.

Once tiny pits have formed in the tooth enamel, additional acids make them deeper and deeper. Eventually, bacteria invade the inside of the tooth, causing decay. In reality, tooth decay is like having an infection in your teeth.

You do not have to eat candy to have sugar in your mouth. Bread and other starchy foods are digested (broken down) into a type of sugar by saliva. These sugars are just as appealing to mouth bacteria as a Snickers. (If you chew a cracker and keep it in your mouth for a moment before swallowing it, you will notice that it’s a little sweet. This proves that saliva turns starch into sugar.) So go ahead and brush your teeth. The time you waste having to do this horrible chore will be made back with easier dental visits, whiter teeth and less annoying parents. 
reference: HOWARD J. BENNETT 

Bennett is a Washington pediatrician. His website is howardjbennett.com.

Healthy Smile Series: What is America's greatest addiction ??

In the fight against childhood obesity, it’s time to scrutinize the effects of glucose
America has been dealing with addiction for decades, but studies are finding some of the most addictive substances we encounter often are in our children’s lunchboxes. 

COOKIE ADDICTION 

Every parent has inevitably witnessed the rise and fall of energy within their child with the consumption of candy and sweets. When the brain is washed in glucose, it works faster, harder and in hyper-drive. However, most parents don’t realize the brain habituates itself, or becomes accustomed to elevated levels of blood sugar. Once the brain has experienced a certain high, or surge in energy from elevated blood sugar, it becomes acclimated and physiologically demands extra glucose from that point forward. 

Unfortunately, there are no options for going cold turkey. Once acclimated to elevated levels of glucose, the brain will not function properly without them. When not given its glucose-fix, the brain becomes fuzzy, lethargic, demotivated and slow to learn. In addition, excess cortisol — the primary stress hormone — is released, which encourages mood swings, weight gain, fatigue and cravings for more carbohydrates. Many adults experience these feelings around 10 a.m. or 3 p.m., when they are “coming down” from a meal. At those two points in the day, many adults reach for a doughnut or a coke, anything to maintain mental productivity. 

DRUGS ON EVERY CORNER 

Unlike the stereotype of hooded men in back alleys, foods that spike blood sugar are available in the open, with advertising on every street corner and on countless websites. Refined carbohydrates, containing sugars and often low-fat logos, plead to our on the- go nature and are easy to grab when getting gas. They break down quickly in our bodies, skyrocket our blood sugar and wash the brain in glucose. Examples of common on-the-go foods include: granola bars, muffins, bagels, cookies, most breakfast cereals, instant oatmeal, rice cakes, soda, sports drinks, candy bars, puddings and fruit snacks. How many of the listed foods appear in your child’s lunchbox?

We are addicting them to glucose before they can make decisions for themselves. As busy parents, we want to feed them as healthfully as possible with minimal mess and preparation. There is no glucose dealer here, just individuals with responsibilities pulling them in multiple directions. 

PANCAKE REHAB 

Similar to smoking cessation, glucose addiction is not a battle to be won overnight. The brain has habituated to sugar for years, making the habit a physiological necessity. Small choices instituted every day can help to slowly acclimate the brain to less sugar. For on-the-go families with budgets and deadlines, we recommend: 

• Fruit: The portable snack that offers natural sugar, fiber and nutrients. 

• String cheese: Kids love them, they will never affect blood sugar, and they’re a good source of protein.

• Yogurt: Although some yogurts have a lot of sugar in them, they still offer a better option than muffins because of their serving of dairy and protein content. They can also be frozen to make a healthy treat or utilitarian ice pack.

• Roasted nuts: Peanuts, cashews, almonds, all offer healthy fats and give you a “full” feeling.

• Chocolate (preferably dark): If you’re going to eat a sweet, at least enjoy one packed with antioxidants! Chocolate has a high fat content, which slows down sugar molecules in the digestive process.

• Whole grains: Snacks labelled whole grain are great choices among carbohydrates.

Studies have shown some of the most addictive substances can be found in children’s lunchboxes. Eating excess amounts of glucose, found in foods such as doughnuts, makes your brain demand extra sugar from that point forward and causes your brain to malfunction if it doesn't receive more.

Reference: Alliance for Health 

Healthy Smile Series: Diabetes and Gum Disease

New Scientific Understandings

People with diabetes already know that diabetes can harm their eyes, nerves, feet, kidneys, and heart. But did you know that diabetes can cause problems in the mouth? Scientific research has now confirmed that diabetics have a higher risk for gum disease.

Periodontal (gum) disease is a chronic low-grade infection of the gums and bone around the teeth. Oral bacteria cause gum tissues to become infected and break down. Because diabetics tend to have more problems with infections and wound healing, gum disease represents a worrisome threat to both oral and general health.

The good news is that diabetics who have regular dental care experience better control of their blood sugar, compared to other diabetics with gum disease. The bad news is that diabetics who are not in control of their blood sugar have gum disease more often than diabetics with good blood sugar control.

This means that diabetics who are well controlled can enjoy the same level of oral health as non-diabetics if they practice good oral hygiene, have regular professional care, and keep their oral tissues healthy.

This makes the dentist and dental hygienists valuable members of the diabetic team. They help assure that the mouth stays healthy and does not complicate blood sugar control or the overall management of diabetes. Working with a dentist who understands the unique challenges faced by diabetes is important.

If you know anyone with diabetes, you will be doing them a huge potentially life-saving favor by sharing this information and encouraging them to take care of their diabetes and their oral health. This is because people with diabetes and gum disease have a dramatically increased risk of dying from diabetic complications.

reference:  Lee Ostler DDS

Healthy Smile Series: Added sugars in diet linked to heart disease deaths

Consuming too much sugar can increase the risk of premature death from heart disease, a finding that is fueling calls for the Canadian and U.S. governments to offer dietary limits on sugar.
For an adult consuming 2,000 calories a day, drinking the equivalent of a bottle of pop sold in vending machines would exceed the level that a new U.S. study suggests raises the risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

"A higher percentage of calories from added sugar is associated with significantly increased risk of CVD mortality," lead author Quanhe Yang of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and co-authors conclude in this week’s issue of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
The researchers analyzed national health and diet surveys between 1988 and 2010 of more than 30,000 Americans with an average age of 44. They found the fatal heart risk became elevated once added sugar intake surpassed 15 per cent of total calories.

"Too much sugar does not just make us fat; it can also make us sick," said Laura Schmidt, a health policy specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, who wrote a commentary accompanying the study.
Previously, sugar used in processed or prepared foods, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, dairy desserts, candy, ready-to-eat cereals and yeast breads, has been linked to increased risks for non-fatal heart problems and with obesity. Naturally occurring sugars in fruit aren't included.
Sugar is hugely important to the trillion-dollar processed food industry, said Michael Moss, a journalist in New York and author of the book, Salt Sugar Fat.

"They're a very powerful lobby," Moss said in an interview Tuesday. "It's very frustrating for consumers, especially when you go in and buy a product, look at the label and there's a blank spot next to sugar. There is no government recommendation on how much sugar you should be capping yourself on and consuming in a day."

The Canadian and U.S. governments don’t provide dietary limits for added sugar and there isn't a consensus on how much is too much.

"What we really need as Canadians is more information," said Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, an obesity doctor in Ottawa. "We need food labels that don't allow for sugar synonyms and actually list the amount of added sugar there."

This is the amount of sugar in a 20 oz bottle of pop. 

To get a sense of sugar amounts, Freedhoff suggests that consumers take the number of grams of sugar on a package and divide by four to get the number of teaspoons.
Yang’s findings add to a growing body of rigorous studies that demonstrate added sugar "is not as benign as once presumed," Schmidt said.

"Proponents of sugar taxes and sugar controls have a new arrow in their quiver and it's this linkage to
deadly heart disease," Moss said. "That's a very powerful tool in the hands of policymakers."
Schmidt notes that the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams a day or six teaspoons of sugar (five per cent of a 2,000-calorie a day diet) and 38 grams or nine teaspoons a day for men (7.5 per cent of daily calories).

In 2005, a panel at the Institute of Medicine, which advises the Canadian and U.S. governments, recommended added sugar make up less than 25 per cent of total calories. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends less than 10 per cent.

Expert committees from the Institute of Medicine have concluded there’s no evidence of harm attributed to current sugar consumption levels, the Canadian Sugar Institute said in a statement to CBC News.
A spokeswoman for the trade group said Canadian sugar intakes are about 11 per cent of total calories. "There is no magic number because our age, gender and activity levels are all different."
In the study, 831 people died from heart disease during the 15-year followup. The researchers took
other factors that contribute to heart problems, including smoking, inactivity and excess weight into account.

Reference: MSN

Schedule your dental visit today, for the health of your smile, your body and your future! 

Brian S. Nylaan, D.D.S.