Besides brushing your teeth twice daily or flossing every day, the diet has a significant effect on your overall oral health. Some foods that contain sugar are especially bad for your teeth. Sugary drinks, such as fruit juices and sodas, are unquestionably on this list. Even though they are the go-to beverage for children all the time, they are not the most suitable choice. Drinking too much sugary drinks has diverse effects that invite dental problems including tooth decay, dental cavities, gum disease, and even bad breath. If you are looking for how sugary drinks affect your teeth, you have arrived at the right spot. Go through this article to get more details on how sugary drinks impact your oral health.
Sugar and Teeth Pain
There are hundreds of bacteria in the mouth, many of them are beneficial for oral health. But, some bacteria play a vital role in causing dental problems. As the bacteria are attracted to sugar, the consumption of sugar is the prime cause of tooth pain. The bacteria in the mouth use sugar from foods and drinks to produce acids that dissolve and damage teeth. When you eat sugary food or drink, the bacteria gets active, which hurt your teeth. However, if you wash your mouth after eating such food, it will reduce the damaging effect.
Causes of tooth decay in youngsters
As youngsters love to consume sugary food, they are more risk to get tooth decay. The leftover food in the mouth is the main cause of forming cavities in youngsters. Generally, cavities happen when foods are left on teeth that contain carbohydrates, sugars, and starches. Such foods include milk, cereals, soda, raisins, candy, cake, fruit juices, bread, etc. When bacteria, acid, food debris get in contact with each other that causes cavities or tooth decay. Over time, the acids made by the bacteria attack the tooth enamel and cavities are formed.
Effects of sugary drinks on teeth
When you have a sugary drink, the sugar from the drink interacts with the bacteria present in your mouth and form acid. This acid attacks your teeth and creates dental problems. Mainly the soda or any other type of drink that contains sugar produces two types of effects on teeth; cavities and erosion.
Soft drinks attack the dentin (next hardest tissue that lies beneath the tooth’s outer layer – enamel. This activity damages your tooth enamel, which invites cavities. Though dental caries or cavities develop over time, people who take soft drinks regularly are at high risk of tooth decay or cavities.
On the other hand, Erosion occurs when the acids in soft drinks attack the tooth enamel, which is the outermost protecting layer on teeth. Erosion reduces the surface hardness of the enamel, and thus the dental problems start to form.
Tips for tooth decay prevention
Your food habits and practice for oral hygiene will help you to prevent tooth decay. Form the habit of brushing your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Also, you can use mouthwash after a meal or snacking to remove food particles. Floss regularly, which will help you keep your teeth in good health. Follow the tips to form habits that will help you to prevent tooth decay;
- Limit the sugary drinks.
- Whenever you drink soda or juice, use a straw. It will help you to keep the damaging acids and sugars away from teeth.
- Don’t brush right after drinking soda. As it may cause a diverse effect on teeth, or even damage enamel.
- If possible, avoid drinking soda before going to bed.
- More importantly, do not skip your dental checkups. The regular checkup will help you to identify dental problems before they get worse.
Treatment for tooth decay in adults
Try to adopt healthy habits so that you are out of the risk of forming tooth decay. But, if you get one, they are reasonably simple to treat. The most primary form of treatment for a cavity is filling. Your dentist will drill away the decay portion and replace it with a concentrated filling made of either composite resin, porcelain or amalgam.
In the case of more widespread cavities, treatments like crowns or root canals are performed. The fillings will prevent the cavity from growing. Hence, it is extremely important to see a dental professional immediately, if you are experiencing any signs of tooth decay or a cavity it is advisable to get the treatment at an early stage.
Moreover, tooth extraction is the least treatment to treat tooth decay. When a tooth is severely decayed, which cannot be restored, then a dentist suggests to remove it as soon as possible to prevent further dental problems.
What are healthy foods for children’s teeth?
As you have advised, your children are following hygienic habits to maintain good oral health. However, do you know the secret of healthy teeth might be in your child’s lunchbox? Food consumption has the most impact on your oral health. Tooth-Friendly food should include in an everyday meal of your child.
Here is the list of the most healthy foods for children’s teeth;
- Milk and milk products such as cheese, yogurt, etc. are rich in essential vitamins including calcium, vitamin D, phosphate. These products are essential to strengthen and protect teeth.
- Green leafy vegetables are full of several vitamins and minerals which is not only help to keep teeth in good shape but also improves overall health.
- Eggs are another good source for phosphate, vitamin D, and protein, which are vital minerals for oral health.
- Fruits contain fibre and other essential nutrients that scrub away plaque from teeth.
- Nuts and seeds are also rich in nutrients that help to maintain oral health.
So, form a habit of consuming healthy food for your children. As soon as they adopt a healthy diet, the risk of dental problems reduces among them. Have a look at the comprehensive list of food to maintain good oral health.
Henceforth, do not over-consume sugary drinks or even limit those as much as possible. As the sugar contained in the drink is the basic cause of tooth decay or cavities, follow the oral hygiene practices to prevent dental problems. Sustaining oral health is as important as your overall health. If you have any dental problems, we are at your service. Consult TruCare dentistry expert and Get the best dental treatment for general dentistry in Roswell.