Yes that is right you can be addicted to sugar just like drugs and alcohol. Sugar is everywhere and in almost every store bought packaged food and drink. It is easily a forgotten nasty that has an effect on your total health and wellbeing.  Many people consume more then there daily intake of sugars without even realising. The World Health Organisation recommends the average daily intake of free sugar for an adult should be reduced to less than 10% of their total energy intake. They say we should be trying to limit our sugar consumption to 6 teaspoons a day. Free sugars include all sugars added to food and drinks as well as natural sugars in fruit etc. 

An Australian Heath survey done in 2011-2012 found that Australians where consuming around about 60g of sugars each day which is equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar.  You may think it would be hard to eat that much sugar in a day but if you didn’t already know your average soft drink these days can have up to 10 teaspoons of sugar in them alone.

Sugar Effects on Health and wellbeing 

Sugar can play a major role in our total wellbeing.  People whom consume too much junk food or food with a high sugar content may experience things like fatigue, headaches from withdrawal, bad skin/acne, low energy levels, weight gain/obesity, increased stress, dental caries and some more serious health issues such as heart disease, liver disease and diabetes. Ways in which we can reduce our sugar intake can be by making simple food swaps. These can be as simple as swapping flavoured yoghurt to natural, or a snack bar to a handful of nuts.  Your local GP or Dentist may also have some helpful tips / swaps to help reduce your daily intake of sugar. 

Sugars effects on Teeth 

The deferent types of Bacteria in your mouth form together to create plaque which then uses the energy from the sugar to multiply and grow bigger and faster creating tooth decay. Some Bacteria may turn the sugar into a thick sticky type glue that sticks to the tooth surface which makes it harder for your saliva to wash it away naturally. Making you very reliable / depended on brushing to make sure your teeth are clean. Children and adolescent teens are at higher risk of tooth decay so it is very important to have a healthy balanced diet and practicing good oral hygiene by brushing and having regular check-ups at your dentist. 

Brushing your teeth on the regular

Brushing is very important in preventing decay especially in children, it is recommended that you brush your teeth at least two times a day, the best times to do this would be once in the morning after breakfast and again before bed. The more the better, it can be beneficially if you brush after every main meal when possible. Making sure we are brushing for the whole 2 minutes in circular motions, making sure we are brushing the whole tooth surface including where the tooth meets the gums top and bottom. It is important not to brush to hard as this May causing gum irritation/ damage.  Your Dentist will be able to demonstrate how to correctly brush your teeth and may have some helpful tips with brushing your child’s teeth as well.

Visiting the Dentist

Visiting the dentist for your regular check-up is another way to prevent and stay on top of any tooth decay and oral health issues. With regular scale and cleans and examinations the Dentist can help reduce and prevent the risk of tooth decay by ensuring your teeth are in good condition. They can set up a treatment plan and lead you down the right path for better oral health.

On Tuesday the 6th of September, Amber and I went to Good Start at Tumbi Umbi to give the Oral Health presentation about why we have teeth and how to keep them happy and Healthy.

As we arrived, the children were outside playing in the fresh air, in the sand pits and on their bikes. There were so many fun things to play with!

We set up our presentation in front of the big colourful mat. This is where the children sit when they are listening to their teacher speak or read a book.

When we were ready, the very kind teachers brought in the bubbly cute children to sit on the mat. As we saw all the beautiful faces we thought we should get things started with a big smile from everyone. We could see so many bright and happy smiles. The children were so excited to meet Amber the Tooth Fairy and couldn’t wait to ask her some questions. One child noticed Mr Dragon sitting on the table and spotted his big teeth and yellow dots on his tail.

We used Mr Dragon to show everyone how to brush our teeth. We started by brushing the fronts of his teeth with circles and we got the children to make circles with their arms. Next we were brushing the biting areas of Mr Dragons teeth by scrubbing and the children we doing scrubbing movements with their arms. Once we had been through brushing Mr Dragons teeth, he had to spit out all the toothpaste. We explained to the children that it is good to spit out the toothpaste, but not to rinse with water so the important minerals can keep the teeth strong. We passed around Mr Dragon so everyone could have a go at brushing his big teeth.

When I asked why do we clean our teeth, a child told us it is so we do not get cavities. I was blown away with the answer! She was totally correct, we brush our teeth so the sugars from our food don’t eat into our teeth. Another way we can do this is to drink and wash our mouth with water after eating.

Looking around the room, we could see that a couple of the children had missing front teeth. It was so exciting to hear that the tooth fairy had come to their house and taken the tooth but left a little treat for them. They loved that Amber the tooth fairy was here today and wondered where she put all of the children’s teeth she had collected. However, this had to stay a secret.

We got two helpers up the front to show everyone what happens at a dental check up. They Dentist and Patient looked great all dressed up and played their roles very well. The patient had 20 happy teeth and she told us how her bottom front teeth are actually wobbly.

The children loved their gift bags and were so happy with the coloured toothbrushes!

We gave the preschool a Colgate story book with the character Brushalotamus. It talks about different ways we can keep our teeth happy. It tells us why it is important to eat healthy everyday foods, drinking lots of water, brush our teeth 2 times and have regular dental visits. The preschool teacher started reading it while Amber and I were packing up. The children were very interested in the story book.

The children gave us a big cheerful good bye and loved walking us to the door and waving through the fence.

It was really nice seeing so many little happy faces and smiles.

Sam Nowlan (Oral Health Therapist).

Why are we moving?
1. Better parking and no dealing with Terrigal traffic!
2. Level access so no more walking up the stairs!

Having been in our current location for 50 years now it is now time for a new beginning and a new place! Along with our new location we will also be welcoming our amazing Hygienist Sam to the practice, she will be working Mondays and Tuesdays. Sam specialises in children’s dental and also does thorough cleans for adults. We anticipate our move to be completely finished by the 12th of June however we will continue to inform our patients of our location when booking appointments to avoid any confusion.

Our practice name, phone number and opening hours have not changed so all is still as normal!

We look forward to continuing to give our patients the highest possible quality of care at our new location. See you there!

Cavities or holes are formed by acid producing bacteria that live on the plaque in your mouth. When sugars and starches aren’t cleaned off your teeth, bacteria quickly begin feeding on them and form plaque. The acids in plaque remove minerals in your tooth’s hard, outer enamel. This erosion causes tiny openings or holes in the enamel — the first stage of cavities.

Brushing and flossing your teeth as well as having them professionally cleaned by our dentists twice a year decreases the level of these damaging bacteria in your mouth. Lack of tooth brushing allows the bacteria to grow producing too much acid which then causes cavities.

Sugary foods feed these bacteria making them produce more acid! So keep brushing and flossing twice a day and keep a healthy, low-sugar diet. These good habits will hopefully lead to a cavity-free visit to Terrigal Dental!

Walking down the hygiene care aisle in the supermarket, we’re dazzled with “advanced formulas”, “multi-action” pastes, and even “natural” toothpastes. But all hype aside, what type of toothpaste should you be using?

From pulverised bones and crushed oyster shells to the modern-day pearly white paste, the role of toothpaste has always been to remove plaque and prevent cavities.

At Terrigal Dental we recommend selecting a toothpaste with added fluoride. Any toothpaste that contains fluoride will help to prevent tooth decay, (when used with a daily oral hygiene routine that includes brushing and flossing). Fluoride is an ingredient added to toothpaste to help strengthen and protect teeth against decay. It can also reverse early decay. Most supermarket toothpastes will have fluoride but it is worth checking the ingredients on the back, just to be sure!

On the weekend our lovely receptionist Sam and Dr Charles participated in the Fun Fair at our local Primary School!

They had guessing competitions, prizes to be won and lots of samples to be given away! It was a beautiful day and they really enjoyed being a part of the day and talking with the community about all things dental.

Thanks for having us!

Children’s teeth should be cleaned as soon as they first erupt from the gum. They should be brushed twice a day buy an adult with water and a soft toothbrush until the age of 17 months.

For children older than 18 months, you should start using toothpaste. Be sure to use a toothpaste that is specially formulated for children. This toothpaste should have a lower amount of fluoride than most adult toothpastes. 

Once your child reaches 3-4 years of age you can start using a larger, pea sized amount of toothpaste.