Pack in the snacking, says Dr Zahid Chauhan

Dr Zahid Chauhan

Some parents have been left feeling a little down-in-the mouth by new government guidance limiting children to two treats a day to protect their teeth.

Adverts advocating 100 calorie snacks, two a day max, have sent some mums, dads and guardians spinning at the prospect of enforcing this – especially as the average child consumes three times more than that.

The case for reducing kid’s sugar intake could not be clearer.

Apart from the fact that a third of children are overweight before they reach secondary school, a quarter of toddlers suffer from tooth decay before they turn five.

And when you are sitting in A&E wondering why you still haven’t been seen yet, you might consider that tooth extraction is the most common cause of hospital admissions in children aged five to nine-years.

What a pain.

The dreaded tooth decay is caused by bacteria in the mouth using sugar from foods and drinks to produce acids that dissolve and damage the teeth. This can causes holes in the teeth, gum disease or dental abscesses.

Failure to care for your teeth leads to painful problems that can take months or even years to remedy.

As the creator of the Homeless-Friendly scheme, I have met rough sleepers who, unable to brush or see a dentist, watch their teeth fall out, with one recently explaining to me how he removed a painful peg – with a pair of pliers!

Checking-up with the dentist is vital, as is proper brushing and flossing.

People complain that seeing the dentist is expensive.

Consider the price though, of losing your teeth.

It is also worth remembering that Rochdale has a superb out-of-hours dental service in BARDOC.

Sugar reduction is a must, too.

Certainly, I think the supermarkets could help by labelling food properly and a ban on junk food ads generally wouldn’t go amiss.

Given that they contain 20 spoonful’s of sugar, energy drinks are an absolute no for young people.

Replacing chocolate bars and full-sugared soda, pops your sugar intake.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow have also recently reminded us that simply sticking to three nutritious meals a day without eating in between can insure your child is healthy.

The Change4Life campaign has produced a fruitful list of alternatives to high-sugared snacks, which you can see at:

https://getgoing.change4life.co.uk/Home/Index

Cutting down on sugar lowers obesity, shortens the queues at hospitals and surgeries and keeps your teeth nice and healthy.

Surely that is something to smile about.