How Sugar Forms Cavities
Infamous for its cavity causing nature, sugar gets a bad reputation for a reason. When sugar reacts with bacteria to produce acid, it eats away the enamel of the tooth. As the first defense against tooth decay, enamel is the hardest substance produced by the body, but once it is lost, it cannot be reproduced. When acid erodes enamel, demineralization occurs, meaning it is more vulnerable to toothache and tooth sensitivity. While you may already know that sugar is one of the leading causes of cavities, you may not know how prevalent this harmful substance is in American diets. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup can be found in artificial fruit drinks, fast food, and other highly processed foods.
Ways that Coffee Hurts Your Teeth
Often cited for its ability to stain teeth, coffee also contains acids, which damages the enamel of your teeth. A double-hitter, coffee is made with tannins, a substance found in tree bark, which etches the tooth. Tiny scratches in tooth enamel not only weaken the tooth’s defenses against decay, but also create easier access for stains. Tannins can also be found in other tooth staining culprits like red wine and tea. If you want whiter teeth, limit drinking coffee and other beverages containing tannins or drink water between sips.
White Bread is Harmful to Your Tooth Enamel
Have you ever noticed how white bread sticks to your teeth while you are eating a sandwich or a dinner roll? This process is called fermentation. That sticky feeling involves saliva creating sugar with the highly processed carbohydrates. Crackers, cookies, and other starches can also ferment in your mouth, creating a habitat for bacteria and acid to erode your tooth enamel. Replace white bread with whole wheat bread, or drink plenty of water while eating fermentable carbohydrates to rinse the sugars and acids from your mouth.
How Citrus Can Weaken Teeth
Citrus: Foods like lemons and limes have a low pH level, meaning the acidity of the substance is high. For instance, where milk is usually a 7 on the pH scale, lemon juice ranks at approximately 2 pH. High levels of acidity in your mouth damage your tooth. Balance your pH levels by drinking plenty of water or adding foods that are higher on the pH scale, like asparagus. You can also help strengthen the mineral composition of your tooth enamel with fluoride treatments. Ask your Ankeny dental hygienist at your next dental cleaning about fluoride supplements to build back your tooth’s defenses against cavities and alleviate tooth sensitivity.
Dr. Amanda Foust is here to help you make good decisions about your oral health care. If you have questions, of want to schedule an appointment with Dental Impressions, contact our Ankeny dentist office at (515) 965-0230. We serve patients from Bondurant, Elkhard, Polk City, Alleman, and the neighboring communities near Ankeny.
