I've given up smoking, I don't drink, I've lost 65 1/2 pounds over the last 18 months, but THIS I cannot do... HELP!

[emkana]

I gave up smoking when I got pregnant nearly five years ago, and it's been fine, I don't miss it at all. I don't or hardly drink for the same amount of time, because I've been continually (is that the right word?) pregnant or b/feeding for this amount of time now. I put on obscene amounts of weight during my two pregnancies, but am now lighter than I was before getting pregnant with my dd1.
At the risk of sounding smug - I'm proud of myself, I think I've done well turning myself into this boring Mummy person .
My last remaining vice (other than MN) is sweets. I eat quite a lot of them, horrible childish sweets at tha - things like MegaDouble Lollys and Parma Violets. Also chocolate and other things. I've managed to find a level at which I can eat them, eat healthy stuff and still maintain my current weight. But now the dentist, which I went to see last week after not having been for over four years, told me off for having several "problem areas" in my teets and told me to give up sweets. At first I thought - yeah, I won't have any more, fine, I can do it. But over the last 10 days I've noticed that I can't/don't want to. Can't I have one vice at least please? Is there a way out of this? Will all my teeth fall out?
Sorry to be so pathetic about this, but it's really getting to me...

What's your dentist doing lookin at ya teets??

Don't know any tips I'm afraid as those type of sweets are hard to replace. Sugar is very bad for your immune system though

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What if you eat a cube of cheese after the sweets? This helps the balance of your teeth. Surely you're allowed one vice?

Well I think you'll find you have at least 2 vices if you count sweets and mumsnet! Surely you can eat sweets and then clean your teeth? Or could you start eating 70% cocoa solids chocolate instead since it's so strong, you really do need less of it to satisfy a sweet craving imo.

sweets are fine, it's the bacteria that lurk and digest the sugar that do the damage! Why not limit yourself to a treat a day, and brush your teeth straight away afterwards?

My dh got a drastic blood sugar drop during a trip to the dentist and he was given a Mars bar! When dh questioned this he was told that chocolate is better for your teeth than sweets. I love chocolate but only eat small quantities of organic plain chocolate, my tastebuds have become totally re-educated and I can't stand ordinary chocolate or sweets now.

Well done on the weight loss and fags BTW. I need to lose weight so will be inspired by you!

Could it be the way that you eat sweets that's causing the problem? If you have a little bit often it's much worse for your teeth than having it all in one go. Whenever you eat something sweet plaque feeds on the sugar for about 20-40 mins afterwards which makes acid which is what attacks your teeth (rather than the sugar itself), so if you eat one sweet every half hour your teeth will be almost permanantly under acid attack. If you have the sweets in one go and finish within 20 mins of starting then you will minimise the acid duration, especially if you follow it up with something like a piece of cheese which is alkeline (sp?) and then brush your teeth gently. You could also cut out other sources of acid, like fizzy drinks (even diet ones are high in carbonic acid from the fizz).

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Thanks for your advice so far.

What about chewing sugar-free gum? Does that do any good? My dh thinks so.

Remember, your dentist is seeign you for the first time after the effects of two pregnancies and no check-ups in-between - cumulative damage, I suppose.

The advice about not having little-and-often is sound, and allows you to save yourself up for a yummy treat. Also eat your sweets as part of a meal. Sugar-free gum or mints with Xylitol are supposed to be a good thing.

Why not try to re-educate your taste-buds and eat 70% chocolate? It's much healthier too than your average Galaxy etc. The taste is so intense that a little goes a long way.

And wow, all credit to you for your weight-loss and fag-freeness!

Sula make sugar free sweeties. They are nice.

IME chewing gum makes me ravenous - all that chewing prepares the stomach for food that doesn't appear. And after a while it tastes foul.