Tooth decay is caused by bacteria in the mouth using sugar from foods and drinks to produce acids that dissolve and damage the teeth and create bacteria. Foods such as candy or sweetened beverages contain high levels of sugar and eating or drinking these can significantly contribute to tooth decay and gum disease. In fact, every bite or drink can affect your teeth for 20 minutes directly.
Because bacteria thrive on sugar and sugary drinks are able to get into every crevice of your teeth, regular and even diet soft drink, energy drinks, and anything with a sugar count on the label have high levels of acidity that can cause gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth erosion of the enamel. They also have a severe impact on your overall health.
How Tooth Damage Occurs
When the acidity sits on your teeth it removes the enamel the covers and protects each tooth from becoming susceptible to plaque, tartar, disease, and decay. Without the enamel to protect your teeth, you can get cavities and expose the inner layers of the tooth to where they become sensitive to heat, cold, food, and drink. If allowed to continue, this will become painful.
It’s important that you protect your tooth enamel from being eroded away by sugary, acidic foods and drinks.
How to Fight Tooth Decay and Erosion
Avoid soft drinks. We know many people love to have their soda during the day, at fast food restaurants, and even at home. But, avoid them completely if possible. Keep in mind that every time you take a sip, your 20 minutes of acidic damage starts over. The worst thing you can do is sip on soft drinks throughout the day. If you’re unable to quit soft drinks, then use a straw so that your teeth are less exposed to the damage of the sugar and acid. It still affects your blood and digestive system, so don’t think that you get to skirt by with this exception.
Drink neutral or slightly alkaline water often. Water can help cleanse your mouth, but it’s important to make sure that the water you’re drinking is also not acidic. Surprisingly, many brands of bottled water aren’t as good for you as they claim. Do some research and find what water is available to you and which option is best. There are many YouTube videos that cover water bottle pH values, but you can also order pH testers off of Amazon as well for just a few dollars. Four dollars might help you save thousands on dentures, dental implants, and other dental surgeries.
Brush your teeth with a fluoride based toothpaste. Pretty simple, but it makes a world of difference. Fluoride helps wash away the sugar and acid from food and drinks. Just make sure to give your teeth an hour to recover from the initial onslaught the soft drinks caused to your teeth.
