Dental health experts think you should finally dismiss these 13 sweet tooth beliefs

From the time we’re born, we are hard-wired to seek out sweet foods for survival – human breast milk has 17 grams of sugar per serving – and as we grow we learn to associate sugar with comfort, says paediatric dentist, Dr Erin Issac.

Eating too much sugar can make you sick, but when you eat it in moderation, sugar offers real mental and physical health benefits. Sugar is a carbohydrate and a quick source of energy for your brain and body. It can also feel soothing and lower stress levels. (There’s a reason so many ‘comfort foods’ are sweet, Dr Issac says.)

Yet we all know some people who seem to crave sweets more than others, even claiming to have a ‘sweet tooth.’

There is no such thing as a physical tooth in your mouth that goes rogue and causes you to inhale bags of chocolate. Still, there is evidence that some people have genetic, hormonal and mental factors that make them crave sugar more than others, says dentist, Dr Wesam Shafee.  “You’re not crazy if you think you have a sweet tooth,” he says. “We have some scientific evidence that it’s true.”

Dr Issac and Dr Shafee share the scoop on your sugar cravings, busting long-held legends about what it means to have a sweet tooth.

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Ever notice it seems like there are two classes of people when it comes to dessert – those who absolutely love it, and those who aren’t sweets eaters? According to a 2018 study published in Cell Reports, the FGF21 gene produces a hormone that can make you more sensitive to insulin fluctuations. This, in turn, makes you seek out sugar more than people without the gene. You can, however, use your mind to help you conquer those sugar cravings.

Find out what food cravings secretly reveal about your health.

Eating too much sugar is one of the top factors associated with obesity, but just because an individual is heavy doesn’t automatically mean they’re consuming excessive sugar. In fact, researchers found that people with the sweet tooth gene were more likely to have lower body fat (although they were also more likely to have high blood pressure).

Learn 31 things you should do right now to avoid high blood pressure.

No, they’re not. Sugar-free products are often touted as a healthier alternative, but researchers from Melbourne University tested a variety of sugar-free soft drinks, sports drinks and sweets and found that they were highly acidic. “Any food which makes the mouth more acidic can lead to cavities and tooth enamel erosion,” Dr Shafee explains.

Find out what happens to your body when you stop eating sugar.

Think that just because you crave pasta, bread and barbeque flavours instead of confectionery that you don’t have a sweet tooth? Not so fast: there is plenty of sugar hidden in many savoury treats, too.

Sugar is a carbohydrate and is found in any carb-laden food, even if it doesn’t taste ‘sweet.’ “Anything that can break down into sugar – and that includes snacks like Goldfish [crackers] and pretzels – can increase cavity and acid erosion risk on the teeth,” says Dr Issac.

There are plenty of foods that are worse for your teeth that sugar. Sweets in liquid form, like juices, soft drinks and milk, coat every nook, cranny and groove of your teeth, making them the worst offender for dental health, says Dr Issac. She echoes Dr Shafee’s point, noting that the combination of sugar and acid found in many soft drinks make them doubly bad for teeth.

Read on for the things that happen to your body if you stop drinking fizzy drinks.

Actually, you might consider brushing before eating sweets. “It seems counterintuitive, but the pH in our mouth changes every time we eat, which puts our teeth in a weakened state. So if you brush right after eating, you’re literally scrubbing that acid into your teeth,” says Dr Issac. “Brush before with a fluoride toothpaste, so that over time, enamel is strengthened and can better withstand the sweets.”

“This notion of not being able to control sweet cravings because of a ‘sweet tooth’ can definitely be harmful,” says Dr Issac. Too much sugar increases your risk of cavities, diabetes and heart disease. So even if you do get powerful cravings, there are plenty of reasons to reel it in.

Check out which foods are worse for your teeth than lollies.

The fruit snacks that come in single packs are one of the worst offenders for teeth, especially as they’re often given to children as a ‘healthy’ treat, says Dr Shaffee. From a dental perspective, any sticky sweet foods – think gummies and toffees – are harmful to the teeth because they cling to the surface.