What’s on the Barbie?

Potential dental pitfalls of the humble barbeque.

We are sure that we are not the only ones who hope that the great weather that we had last week, isn’t all we are getting this summer! Whilst British summers can be unpredictable, some institutions that are popular in hotter countries, seem, increasingly, to becoming very popular here too; and none more so than the barbecue. The first signs of hot weather in this country usually see the rising of smoke from barbecues across Burton on Trent and other Staffordshire towns.

Barbecues can be great fun and an excuse to get a lot of people together where it might be a squeeze indoors. It is also a good excuse to eat and drink in a relaxing and informal manner.

There are, however, a few things that are worth considering, when it comes to enjoying your barbecue, that relate to your oral health. A recent study suggested that the average British barbecue meal contains a lot more sugar than you might expect; so let’s take a closer look at the offending elements and how you can avoid adverse effects for your oral healthcare.

Marinade

To get that great barbecue flavour, most meat is marinaded in a smoky barbecue sauce. When the meat is finally put on the barbecue, these marinades, which often have a high sugar content, start to thicken and become very sticky indeed. Whilst this is part of the fun of it, this stickiness also means that much of the sugary marinade gets attached to our teeth.

Pass the sauce

With our passion for burgers or hot dogs (or ‘snags’ if you want to be Aussie authentic), comes a love of sauces, the most popular of which in this country is still the classic tomato ketchup. It may surprise some of our patients at Alexandra Dental Care though, that these sauces are usually very high in sugar, often way more so than you might expect.

Because tomatoes are acidic, a large amount of sugar is needed to tone the acidity down and this results in us adding extra sugars to the sticky sugars that are already in the marinades.

Washing it all down

With our hunger satisfied, the next thing that most of us will reach for on a hot day is an ice cold beer. Presuming that you don’t have very sensitive teeth (and if you do, make sure to pay our Burton on Trent dentist a visit), an ice cold beer can be just the thing to cool you down and feel very satisfying.

However, yes .. you guessed it, beer also contains quite a lot of sugar, and, in addition to this, too much could see you becoming dehydrated. Excessive dehydration can lead to an increase of gingival bacteria in the mouth, which is a potential indicator for future gum problems.

Solutions

Of course, we are not saying that you should not enjoy your barbecue, or even your beer for that matter. But it is important to understand how these things can affect our oral health, often unexpectedly and to partake with a degree of moderation. The key is to make sure that when you have had a barbeque, that you take a little extra time to clean your teeth before going to bed. Make sure that you brush for a minimum of two minutes and also floss. Flossing will be helpful in removing those sticky bits of barbecued food which have got stuck between the teeth where failing to remove them may lead to dental decay and subsequently fillings.

And finally, make sure that your oral health is in good order by visiting Alexandra Dental Care at least twice yearly for an oral check.

Please call us on 01283 216347 to discuss any aspect of your oral health care and we’ll be pleased to help.

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