Cutting out sugar for my children.... Is sweetner really bad?!?

[mindermummy]

My son recently had a filling, I was shocked!
We were told he has very weak teeth.
Since then I have cut out most biscuits sweets etc etc
Have tried cutting out the sugary cereals in morning too. My son loves weetabix but always had a teaspoon of sugar on top (wrong I know!!!).

If I changed this to a spoonful of sweetner instead, is this bad for their teeth too?! Is it also bad for kids in other ways too?!?
Many thanks

I'm not keen on artificial sweeteners TBH. The clue is in the name! A lot is to do with genetics, so don't berate yourself too much. My DD's have honey on their porridge/shredded wheat etc and their teeth are doing ok. Perhaps try that instead. But don't be too hard on yourself.

i'd always go sugar over sweeteners any day.

but tbh in your case I'd say the best bet is to wean him off the taste of sweetness, no one needs it really, nice though it is!

watch for juice and fruit too, for weak teeth these can be a real killer! The acid and the fruit sugars are terrible for teeth.

I don't let mine have artificial sweetner, I just have a bad feeling about it.

Can you try banana on weetabix, or strawberries or raspberries?

I'd avoid chemical sweeteners too. Would you be able to slowly reduce the amount of sugar you put on cereal etc instead?

Not all sweeteners are artificial. Stevia is not artificial. It's "sweetleaf", the plant. It's been in use in Japan since 1978 and has recently been released here.

Xylitol is what they make toothpaste out of, and you can buy it in most supermarkets. It's a sugar alcohol made from birch trees. It can give you the runs if you eat too much (but then so can broccoli).

You need to avoid those too as they just prime people to want sweet things. Just get rid of all of it. It's totally unnecessary. I only drink tap water.

It does not take long to get rid of this kind of junk so many parents feed their children.

Yes, this is true, I just felt strangely compelled to answer the actual question. (Almost unprecedented on MN, I know )

Aspartame is linked to headaches and migraines and I think there are some claims that sweeteners don't help you to lose weight in the way you would expect, though that's obviously not relevant to you.

I think we don't always know the full effects of artificial additives as there haven't necessarily been full studies so I'm always cautious about giving them to my children.

Can you try another cereal entirely (one without too much sugar)? We have rice pops or shreddies which are not sugar-free but not too bad.

If you can't drop the sugar at breakfast then make sure he brushes his teeth really well, gets enough calcium and doesn't have sweets in between meals.

I use xylitol and stevia for the children. Much better for them than sugar. I have done lots of research into sugar recently. It's shocking how bad for you it is.

at Acumen.

I'd second xylitol as a good alternative.

Stevia is ok as a sugar substitute as it is naturally derived but steer well clear of aspartame. It gave me horrible migraines as a teenager which completely stopped once I stopped drinking diet drinks. I thunk it has also been linked to brain tumours although I don't think that has been proven.

DD had a problem with her teeth and had to have lots taken out

We have the Xylitol sweetner (can also be found in Orbit chewing gum and is meant to be good for having after eating- depending on age of child)

One hour should be left between eating and brushing teeth.

All drinks had through a straw.

Cheese is good to have after a meal to neutralise the acid in mouth

And we use children's pro enamel toothpaste

Aspartame is the devils sweetener. It was originally listed as a bio warfare when it was created! Linked to cancer in lab animals, also makes you crave sugary foods. Avoid like the plague and just try to cut down on sugar generally rather than go for artificial alternatives.

In cooking or to sweeten foods try agave nectar- made from a cactus it has a sweet taste without additives or creating blood sugar highs....

Agave nectar is a terrible idea. Sorry, but it will rot your teeth and wreck your liver. It's simply a high fructose syrup. Fructose, like glucose, is a fermentable carbohydrate, which is what causes tooth decay.

Ds1 is 9, doesn't have a children's sugary cereal (has weetabix or shredded wheat) in the morning but does have neat orange juice.

When his back teeth came through he was lacking in mineral content in them, there is no reason why it just happens.

He was prescribed this mouthwash to have before breakfast then to wait at least 20 minutes for the orange juice to leave his mouth before brushing his teeth after breakfast.

I would choose sugar over sweetner any day.

What did your dentist recommend?

You could go for neither.
Weatbix has siome sugar in it by the way. You are better off with eggs for breakfast than carbs.

i have been trying to get him to have eggs, but naturally the sweetness of the cereals makes him want them!!!
my dentist said to cut out as much sugar as poss...thats why i was i was looking at that alternative.
Although im not feeling too good about using sweetners now after reading these comments......thats why i asked as was bit worried.
Thanks for all ur comments.
xx

Oh your dentist is being most unfair. Everything in moderation. If giving sweet things just make sure you brush teeth afterwards. Friends son had filing and dental assistant smuggly stood by and said "I only give my children milk, tea and water to drink", turns out son had poor tooth enamel caused by chickpox at 1 years old nothing to do with sugar. Friends changed dentist to avoid smug bitch. Food manufacturer, virtually all processed food, fast food all have sugar in. Your dentist should have said reduce not avoid altogether.

DD1 has weak teeth. They are very bright white but they seem to swell and get cavities at the gumline. SHe has to use a high flourode toothpaste, which she hates as it is sooo strong, and the dentist paints her teeth with a coating every so often.
When brushing you have to be careful, don't use an electric toothbrush as it is too rough for weak teeth. Floss everyday, we use the floss/toothpicks which are easier to use. Straws for drinks is excelent idea, also try to limit drinks other than water. If you don't want hime to have sugar on his cereals then don;t buy it in. We only use sugar for baking, coffee and cereals so you don't really beed to have itin the house.

Oh and get him on board with looking after his teeth now, dd1 is 16 now and her attitude is 'they will fall out by the time I am 30 so why bother?' It is harder to force a large teenager to take care of her teeth then it is a toddler/child.