How healthy is your diet? - Tooronga Family Dentistry in Glen Iris

Frequently I see patients who are surprised when I find decay in their teeth. They lead a healthy life style of vigorous exercise and stay away from “Junk food”. To hydrate themselves they drink distilled water or energy drinks and they have a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables and energy bars.

The reasons this diet leads in adults and more so in children to the development of decay are:

1. Distilled water does not have fluoride, whose introduction in water and oral hygiene products led to the substantial decrease in the prevalence of decay in developed countries. Children who drink the distilled water do not get the fluoride embedded in the developing teeth leaving them decay prone.

2. Energy drinks, fruit juices and fruits are acidic. They soften the enamel and make it more prone to bacterial attack and more easy to be worn away.

3. The refined sugars in the energy bars and drinks provide energy for the bacteria to multiply and the ingredients to produce acids that dig further into the tooth.

To help prevent these unhealthy outcomes of the healthy diet, as part of my examination I make an assessment of the prevalence of decay in the teeth and the diet. For each patient I recommend a regime that supports your life stile without compromising the dentition.