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Indulging in sweet treats is one of life's simple pleasures, but when it comes to our dental health, sugar is often seen as a prime villain. However, it's not just about how much sugar you eat, but also how often you consume it that affects your teeth. This blog explores the delicate balance of enjoying sugar without compromising your oral health.
Understanding the Impact of Sugar on Teeth: Sugar itself doesn't cause tooth decay; rather, it's the chain of events that sugar initiates in the mouth. When sugar is consumed, it interacts with bacteria in the dental plaque to produce acid. This acid is what gradually erodes the tooth enamel, leading to cavities. The frequency of sugar consumption is crucial because the more often your teeth are exposed to this acid, the less opportunity they have to repair themselves.
How Much Sugar Is Okay? There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but moderation is key. The World Health Organization recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake, and a further reduction to below 5% would provide additional health benefits. In practical terms, for an average adult, this equates to about 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of sugar per day.
Frequency Matters: It's not just the quantity of sugar consumed but also the frequency that's important for dental health. Snacking on sugary foods or sipping sugary drinks throughout the day gives bacteria more opportunities to produce acid. Limiting sugar intake to mealtimes reduces the amount of time your teeth are under acid attack.
Protective Measures:
Healthy Alternatives:
Conclusion: Enjoying sugar in moderation, being mindful of the frequency of consumption, and following good oral hygiene practices can help you maintain healthy teeth. It's about finding the right balance that allows you to enjoy life's sweet moments without compromising your dental health.
"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. Keep yours sparkling by striking the right balance with your sugar intake!"
As a dental patient, you may be more used to hearing which foods are bad for your teeth rather than good for them. While we all should know that acidic foods or foods high in sugar are bad for your teeth, did you know that cheese has been shown to be good for your teeth? If this particular dairy delight is one of your favorite snacks, here’s how you can use the prevention of tooth decay to justify eating more of it!
Cheese’s newfound tooth-strengthening super power is the result of a study conducted by the Academy of General Dentistry. The study looked at several dairy products, including milk, yogurt and cheese, and measured the effects that consuming each one had on the Ph of a person’s mouth. (The Ph scale measures how acidic, alkaline or base a substance is.)
What does Ph have to do with it? Acid, or substances with a low Ph, are the biggest enemies of your tooth enamel, which is the hard outer coating of your teeth. Acids can eat away at this layer, exposing the more vulnerable layers beneath and giving infection- and gum disease-causing bacteria a place to thrive. Acid can be found in citrus fruits and diet sodas and are a by-product of bacteria’s consumption of sugar. One of the purposes of saliva is to re-balance the Ph in your mouth after you consume these types of foods.
The study found that Ph levels in participants’ mouths were elevated for 30 minutes after consuming cheddar cheese. These results even beat out the other dairy products in the study: both milk and yogurt only elevated mouth Ph for 10 minutes each. The reason for this effect was the fact that cheese promotes saliva production and also contains calcium and protein, which are the building blocks for a healthy mouth and preventing tooth decay.
We realize that cheese isn’t the most “diet friendly” food there is, but the good news is the AGD study found that it only takes 1/3 ounce (9 g) of cheese to cause the Ph change that can help prevent tooth decay. Adding just a little cheese to your snack routine can help prevent cavities!
The paleo diet is a nutritional lifestyle that only includes the types of foods that paleolithic humans (a.k.a. cavemen) had access to. Among many other health benefits, many people who advocate for the paleo diet also claim that it can prevent tooth decay. But it turns out this might not be true.
The logic behind this theory makes sense. Ancient humans ate mostly meat from wild animals, seeds, nuts, and fruits. For years, the common wisdom among paleontologists and anthropologists was that ancient humans got many fewer cavities than modern humans because their diet was low in tooth decay-causing sugars and carbohydrates. It wasn’t until the advent of agriculture that the teeth ancient human skeletons started showing rates of tooth decay that resemble modern humans. The gist of the evidence seemed to be that once humans started consuming domesticated wheat and dairy from domesticated animals, our teeth started paying the price despite having a more stable source of food.
Paleo dieters logically assume that if they stick to a pre-agrarian diet, they won’t have to visit the dentist to fix dental problems as often. While we highly recommend a diet high in good fats and proteins and low in sugar like the paleo diet, we have to emphasize that it doesn’t make you immune to tooth decay. And it turns out, that was true for ancient humans too.
Recent evidence from an ancient burial site in Morocco has revealed a hunter gatherer population from about 15,000 years ago that had tooth decay just as prevalent as modern humans. The explanation is that unlike some paleo populations, these people had access to high-carbohydrate food in the form of acorns. (Carbohydrates turn into sugar in your mouth, which then feeds the bacteria that produces cavity-causing acids onto your teeth.) It remains true that ancient human populations that didn’t have access to lots of carbs from foods like acorns did not have the same problem with tooth decay. Still, this discovery disproves the idea that prevalent tooth decay first appeared during the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago.
The moral of the story is, if you’re going to eat a paleo diet, be careful about how you choose to imitate ancient humans. They weren’t immune to tooth decay because of their all-natural diet. Even our paleo patients should come to the dentist regularly for checkups!
The best way to maintain a healthy smile for a lifetime is great dental health habits. Here are a few hacks to your daily routine beyond the usual brushing and flossing that can help prevent tooth decay.
Washing a great meal down with a beverage can be very satisfying, and you can give you teeth a healthy boost by ensuring the last thing to touch your lips after a meal or a snack is water. Water can help flush away sugar and debris that the bacteria in your mouth would otherwise get to feed on and turn into tooth decay-causing acids.
Both with meals and throughout the day, don’t just stick to bottled water. Many prefer bottled water due to the taste, but you could be doing your teeth a disservice by avoiding fluoride. Over 70% of Americans live in communities with fluoridated water. Fluoride is a natural mineral that can prevent and even reverse tooth decay, and is also found as an active ingredient in toothpastes and mouthwashes (though obviously in much larger concentrations than in tap water). But filtered bottled water has either no fluoride or so little that it has no measurable benefit for your teeth.
All of us know we’re supposed to brush twice a day, and most people brush when they get up in the morning and before bed. But you can give your oral health an extra boost by brushing after every meal, including lunch. The problem is, most of us aren’t at home for lunch, therefore we’re away from our toothbrushes and floss. That’s an easy fix! Just stash a soft bristle toothbrush, a travel size toothpaste and roll of floss at your desk, in your locker, or in your car. You’ll have no excuses to leave the remnants of lunch stuck to your teeth!
Don’t have an extra tooth brush stashed away? Get some sugar free gum. Chewing gum after a meal can be about more than just fun flavors and having something to occupy your mouth. The American Dental Association recognizes that chewing sugar-free gum can actually help prevent cavities. That’s because the act of chewing gum stimulates your mouth to create more saliva, which can help neutralize acids from your foods and flush away debris.
Among the many health fads and rumors going around the web, oil pulling is one that we dentists get asked about a lot. The question is, does oil pulling really prevent tooth decay?
Oil pulling is an ancient dental care technique that originated in India about 3,000 years ago. It involves swishing oil in your mouth for about 20 minutes then spitting it out. The rumor is that the oil pulls toxins out of the tissues of your mouth and whitens at the same time. Some people have claimed that it not only prevents but can also reverse tooth decay. Many advocates also mention secondary benefits for your overall health, including improvements to conditions such as diabetes and psoriasis.
In fact, several studies conducted on groups of young adults in India showed that oil pulling did reduce the number of tooth decay-causing bacteria present in plaque. However, some dentists and health professionals have suggested that swishing water in your mouth for 20 minutes would have a similar effect. In other words, there’s nothing special about using oil, in particular, it’s the rinsing action that helps reduce bacteria.
Many dental professionals agree that oil pulling could be a viable alternative to traditional mouthwashes and rinses, but not your normal dental care routine of brushing and flossing. In fact, in studies of the effectiveness of oil pulling on reducing harmful oral bacteria, the control groups were using traditional mouthwash. That means these studies only looked at how oil pulling works compared to regular mouthwash, not to compared to doing away with brushing and flossing.
Some oil pulling advocates claim that it can replace brushing and flossing completely, but dentists do not advise this. From a practical standpoint, the oil can’t clean between your teeth thoroughly like flossing or using a Waterpik. And while it can help prevent the buildup of plaque, it can’t remove it. Plaque can only be removed mechanically, with the abrasives in toothpaste paired with the motion of a toothbrush or a dental hygienist’s tools.
As to the claims that oil pulling can help a wide variety of non-dental health problems, such as asthma, migraines or skin disorders, this may be true, but not directly because of the oil pulling itself. Paying extra good attention to your oral health is bound to impact your general health; the two are closely connected. For example, gum disease has been linked to low birthweight in babies and heart disease and stroke. Tooth loss due to tooth decay often contributes to poor nutrition, which comes with a whole host of health consequences.
Those interested in oil pulling should know that it is only advisable for someone in good oral health. If you have gum disease or are at risk for it, oil pulling could make things worse. If you have questions about oil pulling or any other homeopathic oral care, please talk with us so we can advise you on whether these techniques are a good idea for your oral health situation.
Test your knowledge of dentistry & your dental health! Take the quiz & see the answer key at the bottom to see how well you did.
Answers: 1:c, 2:e, 3:a, 4:d; 5:e, 6:b-False.
Over time, plaque (a thick, bacteria-filled film) and tartar (a hard calcium-based build-up) can build up on your teeth & eventually lead to tooth decay. While regular brushing & flossing at home can help prevent this buildup, it can’t necessarily remove it. That’s why going to your dentist for a professional cleaning is so important.
Even if you have impeccable home oral hygiene habits (you floss & brush for at least two minutes twice daily, or even after every meal), there is still work for your dental hygienist to do at your teeth cleaning appointment to help prevent tooth decay. The cleaning you get at the dentist is a more thorough cleaning that you can get at home, even if you’re a brushing & flossing superstar.
If left on your teeth, icky buildups of plaque & tartar create an ideal habitat for bacteria to thrive. Allowing bacteria to stay on your teeth & near your gums can lead to both tooth decay & gum disease, both of which can cause you to lose your teeth (not to mention the pain & expenses). Bacteria have a harder time sticking to smooth, clean teeth than rough or fuzzy-feeling teeth with plaque & tartar on them.
Plus, having a professional teeth cleaning at the dentist means that you have a head start on keeping your teeth clean. Rather than battling potentially years of buildup (if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while), getting your teeth cleaned regularly means your get a clean start every six months & it will be that much easier to get a smooth, shiny smile at home between dental visits.
Best of all, cleanings can save you money in the long run. Most insured patients don’t pay anything out of pocket for their cleanings, so it’s essentially free. Plus, if you catch problems early or have the opportunity to prevent them you could eliminate the need for more expensive procedures to restore damage from tooth decay or gum disease in the future.
Did you know there is a super simple way to help prevent bad breath that you should actually already be doing? This should already be part of your dental hygiene routine in order to prevent tooth decay, but it’s also a great way to get rid of germs that cause bad breath. Can you guess what it is? We’ll give you a hint: you’ve probably lied to your hygienist about it.
The answer: Flossing!
If the threat of gum disease and cavities isn’t enough to get you flossing everyday, maybe the idea of embarrassing bad breath will be. The importance of flossing can be hard to perceive, because unlike the plaque on the fronts and backs of your teeth, the plaque between them is harder to see and impossible to feel. But there’s a very good chance the people around you can smell it.
When you only brush your teeth you miss out on cleaning a significant amount of the surface of your teeth. Unlike brushing, flossing allows you to go as much as 2 millimeters under your gums, allowing you to remove unseen bacteria from the surface of your teeth. If it isn’t removed, this bacteria will sit in your mouth and start expelling the stinky gasses that cause bad breath.
Remember, it is especially important to floss if you have dental implants or a dental bridge. These “replacement teeth” offer more places for food particles and the bacteria that feeds off them to hide. While crowns and implants aren’t vulnerable to cavities, they also don’t make you immune to gum disease! There are special kinds of floss that make getting in and around your dental prosthesis easier than with traditional floss. Water picks are also good alternatives to floss that can flush away stinky breath bacteria.
If you want a tutorial on the best way to floss for your particular oral health situation, please ask us at your next visit. We would be happy to give you a refresher to improve your dental hygiene routine!
