Sugar and Dental Health
Most of us would consider our food choices unhealthy, not only in the sense that they interfere with the functionality of some of our most important organs, but also in that they plainly compromise our oral health. We live among people who love to indulge in soda, sweet foods, and bad habits like smoking. The effects of all this neglect are compounded, yielding problems like dental caries and gum disease. Eating right is really not that difficult and what you personally stand to gain from a little self-control far outweighs whatever sacrifices you may have to make to get there.
The most effective step you can take against combating oral diseases of any kind is to simply eliminate sweets from your diet. Any food or drink with sugar in it feeds the bacteria in your mouth, which processes this food by producing acid. This acid decomposes your tooth enamel, leaving your teeth prone to decay. Now, don’t think you can substitute diet cola for whatever type of soda you may be drinking now. This has acidic components that will compensate for the reduction in sugar. Stop drinking soda, eating cakes and cookies, and nibbling on caramel apples. Substitute these with vegetables or other alternatives. If you can’t eradicate sweets from your diet, at least attempt to reduce your weekly intake.
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Six Top Tips For Good Oral Health
Before we get to the top tips, lets briefly discuss how a tooth is constructed. We all know the outer part is the enamel layer. The next layer is the dentin, and the inner most part is the pulp.
Now lets talk about how a cavity is formed. There are about 20 billion bacteria in your mouth at any given time. These bacteria feed on food particles left in between your teeth after eating.They feed on all types of sugars like fructose and glucose, as well as starches. Sugars and starches are in just about everything we consume.
Streptococci bacteria, which is only one of about six hundred and six hundred and fifty different types, consumes these sugars and starches. These bacteria then produce waste products called lactic acids. Lactic acids slowly dissolve a tooth’s enamel causing a cavity. They live in the plaque that the dentist removes during cleaning.