The Sugar Diaries - The Sweet Truth

Do you know how much sugar you eat each day? Sugar is the main cause of tooth decay. According to the Food & Drink Federation's Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), women should aim to restrict their daily intake to 90g (the equivalent of 22.5 sugar cubes). Sound easy, doesn't it? But while we can steer clear of the obvious sweet foods (not eating chocolate or not ordering dessert), it's the hidden sugars lurking in the processed foods & "fat-free" alternatives that we buy that are often loaded with hidden sugars. Packaged sauces are ladden with hidden sugars as are "ready meals". Always try to make suaces from fresh produce adding fresh herbs to add flavour. If we were to all keep a sugar diary, and had it analysed, I think we'd all be really surprised at how high our sugar intake actually is. Try to remember these handy hints when you're planning your meals:

• If it says "low fat" it's likely to be high in sugar
• Look out for the "hidden sugars" on food labels - sucrose, fructose, maltose & corn syrup are, in fact, all sugars and if they appear near the top of an ingredients list, the sugar content of that food item is likely to be very high.
• To work out the sugar content of food, look for "Carbohydrates.....of which....sugars" on the nutrition label. A food with 5g (or less) of sugar per 100g is considered low in sugar; 15g of sugar per 100g is considered high (15g is the equivalent of 4 sugar cubes).
• Not all sugars are bad - those which occur naturally in fruit and vegetables offer a source of slow-releasing energy & nutrients. It is the sugars that are added to foods during the processing or cooking that are devoid of nutrients.

The sad discovery of oral cancer

I found myself in the unfortunate position last week of having to refer one of my patients to the hospital on discovering of what I believe it is a malignant mouth cancer.
We screen everyone for mouth cancer every time we carry out a Dental Health Assessment. It is part of our routine in checking all parts of your dental health. You may even in more recent times received something that looks a little like an MOT certificate updating you on all our findings, and to keep you as involved as possible.

The oral cavity comprises the lip, tongue, lining of the cheeks, gums, floor of the mouth and roof of the mouth, the hard palate and soft palate; while the tonsils, back of the tongue (base of tongue/epiglottis) and mouth (posterior pharyngeal wall) collectively form the oropharynx.

Malignant growths in the oral cavity and the oropharynx are called oral cancers. Most of these cancers are of a type called squamous carcinoma, which means they begin on the surface layer of the mouth and can spread if left untreated. Other types, such as adenocarcinomas, lymphomas and melanomas, may also occur.

Every year in the UK about 6000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer. About one-third of these will die because of the condition.

Oral cancer is more common in men and is diagnosed most frequently in people over 60, but it's rising in people under 40, particularly young people, due to alcohol intake or exposure to HPV.

Oral Cancer Symptoms

The most common symptoms of oral cancer are:

An ulcer in the mouth that doesn't heal or bleeds easily on touch

Persistent pain in the mouth or throat

Less common symptoms are:

Lump in the mouth, tongue or throat

Difficulty in opening the mouth or chewing

Difficulty or pain when swallowing

Pain going from the mouth or throat into the ear

Persistent white or red patches in the mouth

If you are concerned about any of the above that have been present for 2 weeks or more, then please make an appointment to see either myself (Rhodri) or Ruth; a 15 minute assesment can be all that it takes to put your mind at rest.

Absolute Dental holds the Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning!

On Friday the 28th of September Absolute Dental took part in the Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care, to raise funds for those affected by cancer and their families. Being the first in house charity event we have held, we were all slightly nervous but very excited to see how the day would pan out as we all geared up to make coffee & sell our delicious home-made cakes (and of course eating some ourselves!) as well as running the practice as normal....... We are delighted to say it turned out fantastically! Weeks were spent by the team preparing invitations, arranging a raffle, selling raffle tickets & most importantly deciding which cakes everyone was going to bake for the big day! It was great fun & very worth every minute spent! We owe everyone that joined in the fun (and those who donated the very generous raffle prizes) a massive thank you! The day was a huge success & we raised a total of £360!