Dr Chirag Kothari offers a dentist’s viewpoint about this recently announced initiative.

Some of our Ipswich patients will have picked up the papers today and read about the ban on sales of energy drinks to children. Whilst a few people may complain about this being a restriction of ‘choice’, the vast majority will, we feel, see this as very good news indeed.

These are exactly the high sugar type of drinks that are thought to be responsible for a dramatic rise in the number of children needing to have teeth extracted in hospital, due to tooth decay.

In many cases, these high energy drinks are not bought simply to give a bit of a boost before or after playing sports or other energy draining activities, but are often used as a replacement for food. This is especially the case where breakfast is concerned and it is far from uncommon to see schoolchildren on their way to school with a can of this type of drink in their hand.

What is wrong with high energy drinks?

There are two main reasons that this ban will hopefully come into being, namely two of the key ingredients in the drink, caffeine and sugar.

The dentists at Foxhall Dental are not doctors, so it is not right that we discuss in too much detail, the caffeine issue. From a dental perspective, there is probably little harm in caffeine on its own (where sugar content is not relevant). The only area that it may affect is when the patient becomes too ‘edgy’ and anxious because of their caffeine intake. This may cause some to grind their teeth, potentially causing dental wear and even breakages.

More generally, caffeine is thought to be responsible for a rise in problems such as stomach problems, inability to sleep properly and hyperactivity. There is a school of though that claims that the fast energy boost provided by these drinks and other high energy foods, leads to a ‘slump’ later on, potentially affecting the child’s ability to focus and learn whilst at school.

High sugar drinks

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The next time you have a check-up….

Here at your Ipswich dental practice we have a thorough list of things we check when you come in for a checkup; like symptoms of mouth cancer, signs of tooth decay and any evidence of bite problems. However, we can be aided in our efforts to help ensure your optimum oral health if you let us know certain things when you come in to see us.

The more we know, the more informed we are about your dental health needs. We can then create a detailed and unique care plan to suit your individual oral health needs. Dr Avina Gandecha from our clinical team advises 10 key things to tell your dentist next time you have a checkup:

1. If You Have Been Having Any Oral Pain

If you have been experiencing any oral pain, it is important for us to know so that we can find out the cause. Even sensitive teeth are usually sensitive for a reason. If we know you have pain in a specific area, we can investigate it for you.

2. If Your Gums Have Been Bleeding

Bleeding gums is a common sign of gum disease which can be more easily treated once it is identified in the early stages. If the disease develops it becomes much more serious and can lead to tooth loss. The sooner you tell us about this symptom the better your long term prognosis.

3. If You Are Pregnant

We need to know if you are planning on becoming pregnant so that we can do any dental work and diagnostics beforehand. If you are pregnant already we need to know so that we can understand your unique needs during this time. Any information about vitamins, medications, specific health advice from your doctor, cravings and morning sickness is information we need to know.

4. If You Want To Improve Your Smile

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Many people drink alcohol to some extent, but is this really harmful to our oral health?

You may have noticed in some of our Ipswich dental practice blogs, that alcohol is often mentioned alongside smoking when discussing certain problems, such as gum disease.

Whilst the majority of us would acknowledge smoking to be harmful, something that is now well established in fact; we may feel more ambivalent when it comes to alcohol. Although not everybody drinks, many of us do drink in moderation and may not feel that the little we consume could cause significant harm, especially to our teeth and gums.

Inevitably, the odd drink here and there will be less harmful than if you drink heavily each day. Even if you are a light drinker though, it is worth understanding the different ways that alcohol can affect your oral health.

Gum disease

Regular consumption of alcohol is likely to have a negative effect on your gum health. As many of us will know, alcohol causes dehydration and very often leaves us with a dry mouth in the morning. When you wake up like this, you may also notice a sticky ‘goo’ in your mouth. This is actually a collection of bacteria, and, although these bacteria are always present in our mouth, when our mouths are dry, they multiply much faster. The increased number of potentially harmful varieties can soon lead to gum disease if this is a frequent occurrence.

Halitosis

Linked to the increased number of bacteria is the possibility of halitosis. Whilst the smell of stale alcohol on the breath is unpleasant, it is nothing compared to the offensive odour of halitosis. The gases expelled by these bacteria, along with the smell of decaying soft tissue, can be very unpleasant indeed.

Poor healing

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