It's also a good time for the dentist to check your teeth and gums for any developing problems. Dental hygienists have the training and tools to clear away any lingering plaque and tartar that could increase your disease risk.
DREADOUT OLYMPIC MEDALIST PROFESSIONAL
Lipinski is also diligent about visiting the dentist for professional cleanings and checkups at least twice a year because even a dedicated brusher and flosser like her can still miss dental plaque that can then harden into tartar.
She also uses a tongue scraper, a small handheld device about the size of a toothbrush, to remove odor-causing bacteria and debris from the tongue. To keep her smile in top shape and reduce her chances of dental disease, Lipinski flosses and brushes daily, the latter at least twice a day. To protect them, it's essential that we brush and floss every day to remove bacterial plaque-that thin accumulating film on teeth most responsible for tooth decay and gum disease. Tough as they are, though, they're still vulnerable to disease, trauma and the effects of aging. Our teeth endure a lot over our lifetime. She also knows the importance of protecting her smile with daily hygiene habits and regular dental care. Now a sports commentator and television producer, Lipinski still loves to show her smile-and counts it as one of her most important assets. Nationals and the Grand Prix Final, in 1997 Lipinski became the youngest skater ever to win a World Figure Skating title. And for good reason: The Olympic-gold medalist has enjoyed a spectacular career in ladies' figure skating. If you would like more information on sugar and your health, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. Strictly limiting it in your family's diet could help lower your risk of tooth decay and dangerous diseases like diabetes. It now turns out that it may be bad for your overall health too. In effect, dentists of old were on to something: too much sugar is bad for your teeth. These beverages are now the leading source of sugar in our diets, and, according to experts, a highly dangerous way to consume it.
These beverages are high in sugar-you can meet your daily allowance with just one 12-oz can of soda. But it's still sugar, and an estimated 74% of processed foods contain some form of it.īut the real surge in sugar has come from our increasing consumption of sodas, as well as energy and sports beverages. One reason is because processed food manufacturers have increased sugar in their products, hiding under technical, unfamiliar names in ingredient lists. This is vastly more than we consumed a generation ago. Health experts generally agree we should consume no more than 6 teaspoons a day, and children 4. This is a parallel trend to our skyrocketing increases in per capita sugar consumption: the average American now eats the equivalent of 19.5 teaspoons of added sugar every day. What's startling about what researchers are finding is that cases of these diseases are growing, Especially in younger people. Just like the evidence of sugar's relationship to tooth decay, current scientific studies are now showing there are strong links between sugar and diseases like diabetes, heart disease and liver disease. What has changed though, especially over the last couple of decades, is a growing understanding of how sugar consumption may affect the rest of the body. This causes them to multiply and increase their production of acid, which softens and erodes tooth enamel. That message hasn't changed because the facts behind it are the same in the 2020s as they were in the 1950s: The bacteria that cause tooth decay feast on sugar and other leftover carbohydrates in the mouth.
Dentists have been alerting people for more than half a century that high sugar consumption contributes to tooth decay. Your parents heard it-maybe even your grandparents too.