Addicted to Sugar? 5 Tips for Beating Your Cravings

Sugar is one of the biggest threats to your oral health, putting you at severe risk for tooth decay. To keep your smile safe, you may resolve to cut sugar out of your diet as much as possible – but that might be trickier than you think. Many people are genetically disposed to sugar addiction, resulting in them binging on sweets and soda. If your sugar cravings are making it hard for you to take good care of your smile, here are 5 tips that can help you get them under control.

1. Take Stock of Your Eating Habits

Are you paying attention to what you’re putting in your mouth? To get a better idea of your eating habits, you can keep a food journal for a week or longer. Write down everything you consume, from entire meals to light snacks. As you keep this log, you can look up the nutritional information for each food item. This way, you can take note of how much sugar you’re consuming and get an idea of what you can afford to cut out of your diet.

2. Gradually Wean Yourself Off Sugar

When you have a sugar addiction, you may go into withdrawal if your intake decreases too much all at once. It’ll be easier to break the habit if you do it in small steps over the course of a couple of weeks. Of course, if your sugar habits aren’t as serious, the effects of giving up sugar altogether won’t be as serious.

3. Look for Sugar Free Alternatives

It’ll be easier to say no to sugar when you have something to replace it with. Coffee creamer, beverage sweeteners, and hard candies all come in sugarless or low-sugar varieties that can still satisfy your sweet tooth without running an unnecessary risk for cavities.

4. Switch to Sugar Free Gum

Sugarless gums are sweetened with xylitol or sorbitol. Unlike normal sugar, they don’t metabolize very quickly, and they don’t encourage the growth of bacteria. You’ll have the benefit of giving yourself something sweet to chew on without hurting your teeth.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Indulge Every Once in a While

If you try to go cold turkey from sugar, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually relapse and go on a binge. It’s easier to keep your cravings under control if you continue to let yourself enjoy sugar, albeit in moderation. For example, you might fix yourself a bowl of ice cream once a week, or you might snag a dessert at the next office party.

Paying close attention to what you’re putting in your mouth can do wonders for your teeth and gums. Be sure to talk to your dentist about your sugar habits and what kind of improvements you can make. It’s never too late to start making better decisions that could save your smile!

About the Practice

At Bethel Dental Clinic, our doctors continually strive for new heights, undergoing the latest training and continually updating our practice’s technology so that we can always provide the best care possible. We strongly believe in educating our patients to avoid dental problems before they start, and we’re always happy to advise on improvements you can make to your diet or your oral hygiene routine. To schedule an appointment, visit our website.