Maintaining good dental hygiene is essential for the overall health of your teeth. It involves the practice of regular brushing, flossing, and cleaning your teeth daily to prevent diseases and other dental problems. Good dental hygiene ensures you prevent dental cavities and tooth decay while keeping your mouth clean and your breath fresh. Unfortunately, most people stop here when it comes to dental hygiene. You forget that what you consume is also part of dental health. Most of the foods that you eat affect your teeth in different ways. Regardless of whether you brush daily, taking these foods in large amounts leads to the deterioration of your teeth.
Sugar
One such food that affects the teeth negatively is sugar. Sugar is the leading cause of tooth decay among many people. Sugar does not cause the damage on its own, but too much intake of it opens up a constant battle within your mouth that causes decay. The mouth is full of bacteria that are most beneficial to your teeth. However, these bacteria feed on excess sugar in your mouth, forming acids that destroy the tooth enamel.
The good thing is that the saliva contains minerals such as phosphate and calcium that reverse the acid attack on the enamel. This process is called remineralization. This process helps strengthen the teeth. If more acid attacks happen, more of the enamel is weakened and destroyed. This leads to the formation of a hole on the tooth because of the decay. The hole opens up the pulp and the inner layer of the teeth to further infections.
Preventing the adverse effects of sugar on your teeth
Limiting the sugar, you take each day is vital to the overall health of your teeth. If you want your saliva to continue playing its part in restoring the enamel and preventing acid attacks, you need to cut back in your sugar intake significantly. Sugar is a magnet for bacteria and bad PH and thus, should be avoided. One way to cut back on your sugar is by consuming low-sugar desserts. For instance, if you are used to drinking soda after a meal or energy drinks, switch this up with low sugar drinks like tea or water. Avoid snacking on cookies and sweets after meals because they contain high sugar levels. There are plenty of low-sugar recipes that you can try on the internet.
Mountain View Dental
If you are in Pleasant View, Utah, Visit Mountain View Dental today for all your dental needs. We are a professional office with certified dentists that take care of you and ensure you are comfortable throughout any procedure. Most people fear to visit the dentist, and here at Mountain View Dentist, our priority is to provide comfort to get rid of this fear. Some of the services that we provide include extractions, dental exams, dental implants, root canals, whitening, and dental fillings, among others. Feel free to call us today if you have any dental questions or schedule an appointment for a private consultation.