WHY LIFE’S SWEET WITH LESS SUGAR

IF I COULD go back in time and offer one piece of advice to my younger self, it would be to take better care of my teeth.

After another visit to the dentist, I can now look forward to more root canal work.

To avoid it, I’d advise my past self to cut down on fizzy drinks and fruit juice, and to eat my sweets in one go, not spread out across the day.

That way my enamel would have a better chance of surviving, as the bacteria in my mouth turn sugar into acid.

I’d also suggest substituting some of the sweets for sugarfree gum with xylitol, which has an antimicrobial effect and generates saliva to wash away the acid. And I’d warn him about dried fruit, which is high in sugar and sticks in teeth, and the dangers to enamel from eating crisps, which turn to sugar and acid in the mouth.

I would urge him to floss, as well as brush his teeth twice a day, and to have regular checkups, to catch decay early.

If younger Michael had done all that, older Michael would have been spared a lot of pain and expense.