How Your Diet Affects Your Dental Health

One of the most commonly misunderstand concepts of good oral hygiene is that one should avoid sugar at all costs.  Why?  Well, sugar causes tooth decay.  Yes, that is true, but did you know that most diet sodas are one-tenth as strong as battery acid?  How good do you think that is for your teeth?  You guessed it, not at all!

Furthermore, once tooth enamel has become weakened by sugar and acid, we see a lot of damage caused by hard candy or other tough foods.  Throw in the double-whammy of the fact that most people with a diet high in sugar and diet sodas are not getting enough of the right nutrients, and you’ve created an environment that will very likely lead to cavities.

Here’s what happens:  You get up in the morning and brush your teeth before leaving for work.  On the way to work, you stop for a cup of coffee, maybe a muffin.  If you’re like most people, you don’t have or take the time to brush your teeth immediately.  What’s happening in your mouth is that that food leaves a film that becomes bacterial in nature, also known as plaque.

The next thing you know it’s time for lunch.  You grab a sandwich, maybe some chips, and a diet soda.  When the plaque that has been building up all morning comes into contact with these new sugars, (from the sandwich and chips), acid is produced which attacks the enamel on your teeth.  This process takes about 20 minutes, and, if nothing is done, the attack can eventually result in tooth decay.  The more often you eat and the longer foods are in your mouth, the more damage occurs.

Now imagine that you skip the step of the bacteria and sugar and go straight to the acid attacking the enamel.  That’s what you’re doing when you drink diet sodas.  Even if no plaque is present, for each sip of diet soda, the acid gets to eat on your enamel for 20 minutes.  Getting the picture?

So what’s the answer?  Here are 8 suggestions for good dental-diet habits.

1. Whenever possible, as often as possible, brush and floss after each meal and snack. Eliminating the bacteria is the best defense.
2. Strive for a healthy diet. Balance is the keyword here.  It’s not about avoiding sugar at all costs; it’s about enjoying the sugar, but taking care of your teeth, too.
3. Drink water whenever possible.  Most other drinks are either going to be high in sugar, or high in acid.  Remember, every sip of pop attacks your teeth for 20 minutes per sip.  Most importantly, once you’ve brushed and flossed after that meal, don’t go back to your desk and sip on a sugary or acidic drink.  Sip on water – it’s better for you in many ways!
4. Limit the number of between-meal snacks. When you must snack, choose nutritious foods that are low in sugar and skip the diet drinks.
5. Brush thoroughly twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and helps protect against, and even helps reverse, the effects of nutritional acid.
6. Floss and/or use a floss substitute such as a Hydrofloss daily to remove plaque from under your gums and between your teeth.
7. Schedule regular dental visits for checkups and cleanings. You cannot get all of the plaque off by yourself.  After plaque sits on your teeth for about 24 hours, it absorbs calcium from your saliva, hardens and becomes tartar.  Just like dust clings to more dust, the more tartar buildup you have, the more difficult it will be for you to get the plaque off as well.  Most people need professional teeth cleanings every three months.
8. Keep a food journal for a couple of weeks and ask your dentist or hygienist to evaluate it with you to see if there are any potential pitfalls you can avoid just by changing a couple of food habits.
   

If you have further questions about how your diet affects your dental health, please contact us at Flemingsburg Dental Care.

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