A new study has found that drinking a glass of milk after breakfast significantly reduces plaque buildup.
Results have shown a small glass of milk more than halves the buildup of plaque acids after eating dry, sugary breakfast cereal.
Milk is one of the best sources of calcium, and the study reaffirms the belief that drinking it after a meal can also help because it neutralises the acids and remineralizes the teeth after eating.
The frequent consumption of sugary foods and drinks exposes teeth to longer periods of acid attack and weakens the enamel. While some experts have labelled breakfast as the most important meal of the day, it has been found that 12 out of 14 cereals we know and love contain worryingly high levels of sugar. Even cereals perceived as healthy are somewhat contradictory, also containing high levels of sugar.
The UK in general has developed a very unhealthy food environment, making it even harder to improve dietary habits. Dr. Nigel Carter, OBE, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: “It is important to remember that it is not the amount of sugar you eat or drink, but how often you do it. A sugary breakfast once a day might not cause significant damage to your teeth on its own. It is the snacking culture that seems to have developed throughout the day that is harmful.
“As a result, the Foundation recommends eating three square meals a day instead of having seven to ten ‘snack attacks’. If people snack between meals, choose foods and drinks that do not contain sugar. Chocolate, biscuits, cakes, dried fruit, soft and fizzy drinks, and squashes are all high in sugar, which can lead to decay or damage the enamel on the surface of the tooth.
“These pose a significant risk to oral health, particularly for young children. When you consider that a third of children aged five and 12 have decayed teeth, there is an increasing need for stricter measures to be put in place so that children’s health does not deteriorate further. Sugary foods have become the norm, this gives us an insight into why children’s dental health in the UK is so poor.
“It would help enormously if parents could encourage children to move away from breakfast cereals loaded with sugar. It may be an easy solution to give children something sweet to appease them, but by keeping the consumption of sugary foods to a minimum, the benefits to oral health will have a lasting impact.”
For further advice on how to improve your diet and reduce the intake of sugary foods in your daily diet, please contact your dentist or one of the Creative Smiles team at 02890 618545.