Sugar Affects Your Teeth Adversely: Do You Know How?

When you visit the dentist near you for exams and cleanings, you hear you must limit your intake of sugar as it can affect your teeth adversely. You believe your dentist and promise you will do everything possible to adhere to their instructions. Things were not similar in ancient times when the Greek philosopher Aristotle discovered that soft figs caused tooth decay. No one believed him at that time, but with progress in science, the evidence is available sugar indeed causes tooth decay.

When left by itself, sugar isn’t capable of causing any problems, but when you ingest sugar, a chain of events beginning thereafter are to blame for the tooth decay. This article takes a comprehensive look at the adverse effects of sugar and how to prevent tooth decay.

Would You Believe Your Mouth Is Similar to a Battleground?

Your mouth is a breeding ground for different varieties of bacteria, some beneficial and others harmful. A specific group of harmful bacteria produces acids in your mouth whenever they get to feast on sugar. The tooth enamel minerals are removed by the acids in a process called demineralization.

Your saliva reverses the damage naturally in a process called re-mineralization, receiving help from the minerals it has like calcium, phosphate, besides the additional fluoride from water and toothpaste. This re-mineralization process helps your tooth enamel repair itself by replenishing the minerals lost during the acid attacks to strengthen your teeth.

Repeated attacks from the acids cause a mineral loss in the enamel, which weakens and destroys it to create a cavity. When left untreated, holes spread to the deeper layers of the tooth causing discomfort and tooth loss. The primary indications of tooth decay are a toothache, sensitivity to hot and cold beverages, pain when chewing, Etc.

Sugar Is Attractive to Harmful Bacteria Responsible for Lowering Your Mouths pH Level

Harmful bacteria like Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sorbrinus attract sugar like a magnet. These bacteria feed on the sugars you eat to create dental plaque, a sticky colorless film forming on the surface of your teeth.

If you don’t remove plaque by brushing or by your saliva, your mouth’s environment becomes acidic to enable the formation of cavities. How acidic your mouth determines the pH scale, which has a basic solution of 7 as neutral. The acidity in your mouth starts to dissolve minerals and destroy the tooth enamel when the pH level of plaque drops to below 5.5. Small holes or erosions begin to form on your teeth in the process and eventually become larger until a cavity is discovered.

How to Prevent Acid Attacks by Bacteria on Your Teeth?

The optimal way to prevent acid attacks on your teeth is to adhere to the instructions of the dentist in Scottsdale, AZ, when you visit them for teeth cleaning near me. It would be best if you thought twice before you reach out to sugary foods or beverages before you because they are the primary culprits of tooth decay. Snacking frequently on such foods increases the time your teeth are exposed to the adverse effects of harmful acids, causing tooth decay.

Studies conducted on schoolchildren discovered that those who regularly snacked on cookies and potato chips were four times more likely to develop holes on their teeth than children that did not.

Having Sugary and Acidic Beverages

A common source of liquid sugar is soft drinks, energy drinks, and juices. Additionally, besides being high in sugar content, these beverages are also acidic and cause tooth decay. Research discovered that adults having an occasional sugary drink increased their chances of losing one to five teeth than adults staying away from the habit. It indicates that having a sugary drink more than once a day triples your risk of losing more than six teeth.

Do not assume sugary drinks are the sole culprits contributing to tooth decay. Having sticky foods like candies, breath mints, and other similar foods provide long-lasting sugar sources for bacteria on your teeth. These foods remain in your mouth longer, gradually releasing their sugars and allowing the harmful bacteria in your mouth sufficient time to digest their feast and produce acids to destroy your teeth.

You are exposed to prolonged periods of demineralization with shortened periods of re-mineralization, resulting in the adverse effects of sugar, causing harm to your teeth.

Dentist 85251 provides you with accurate information when suggesting you to refrain from sugar in any form. If you care for your teeth and dental hygiene and reduce your chances of losing your teeth to tooth decay and cavities, understanding the adverse effects of sugar on your teeth proves beneficial.

Are you aware of how sugar adversely affect your teeth? Learn everything about the harmful effects of sugar and why you must limit sugar intake from this blog.