Carlingford Dentist
The enamel of our teeth is the hardest substance of the human body, harder than bone. But unlike bone it will not regenerate if broken. So if we damage our teeth we need professional dental treatment, fillings or crowns to restore their appearance and function.
Even though tooth enamel is hard is is easily damaged by acidic conditions. If our saliva is acidic, or if we consume acidic foods or liquids, we risk damage to our tooth enamel. Acidic conditions might thin the surface enamel of the teeth, leaving us with a mouth sensitive to hot and cold conditions. Or it might cause decay to part of a tooth, leaving us with a possibly painful cavity that needs serious repair.
The biggest culprit in tooth damage is sugar in the diet. Bad bacteria in the mouth will turn sugar into acid which quickly damages tooth enamel. we need to remove both the sugar and the bad bacteria from the mouth to prevent this tooth damage.
Eating less sugar makes a significant difference to our teeth. When there is less sugar in the mouth the bad bacteria have nothing to feed on, so they cannot produce the corrosive acid. this greatly reduces decay. But even when the sugar is not in our mouth, when we have cleaned our teeth, there is still some risk of decay as the bacteria can feed on the sugar in our body. So reducing overall sugar consumption is necessary.
Obviously cleaning our teeth make a big difference. Brushing twice daily and using floss and mouthwash once daily goes a long way to reducing tooth decay. This is very basic, but it is required by everybody.
Some people are too diligent about brushing teeth. They brush straight after eating. This is actually harmful as the drinks and food often soften the tooth enamel, especially if they are acidic. when the enamel is softened it is vulnerable, and brushing too soon means we risk brushing away the enamel. We should wait 30 minutes after eating before we brush our teeth. In the meantime we should drink water and perhaps chew sugar free gum to clean our mouth.
There is a common misconception that diet drinks and foods are less damaging to teeth because they contain less sugar. But this is misleading. Diet sodas are often acidic, and this is bad for teeth. Diet soda and other acidic drinks, including fruit juice and lemon flavored water, will steadily damage teeth over time.
Carlingford Dental
If we look after our teeth we will have far fewer dental problems. Brushing, flossing and mouthwash every day makes all the difference to our dental health.
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