The average office worker wakes up rather early, rushes to the office, eats at his or her desk, and often works over 8 hours a day. As such, they rarely eat the typical three meals-a-day regimen other people adhere to and society has thrust upon us. While most nutritionists and health nuts agree that eating several small meals or snacks throughout the day is healthier for people, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, many dentists find that office worker who snacks all day are at a higher risk for poor dental health.
Dentists have found that people who snack during the day are at a higher risk because constant snacking prevents the mouth from naturally stabilizing its pH levels, and constant snacking exposes the teeth to acids from foods more often than those who only eat three meals a day.
Not to mention, it’s highly unlikely office workers are taking the time to brush their teeth and floss in between snacks. In fact, in this survey, more than 20% of the office workers examined admitted that they skip brushing their teeth regularly as part of their early morning rush routine to get to work. And if they do brush regularly, 88% of those surveyed brush their teeth for less than the recommended two minutes.
So what is the proper balance?
If you are going to snack, try to limit the amount of snacking to a few times throughout the day instead of constant snacking. And above all else, try to find a couple of minutes to sneak to your office bathroom to brush your teeth at least once during the day if you are snacking. If you aren’t at least able to do that, do not, repeat, DO NOT forgo brushing your teeth in the morning before you rush off to work.
Eating small meals throughout the day maybe healthy for your body, but do not forget about taking care of your teeth as you change your diet.