PRINTED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
October 20th, 2012
Your Diet and Your Teeth
With Halloween (and candy!) just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to think about our diet and the impact it has on the health of our teeth. We all know that candy is not the best thing for teeth because of its high sugar content but you may be surprised to find out that some of the other foods and drinks that you regularly consume can also be potentially harmful to your teeth.
The message here it not necessarily to cut out all foods which contain sugar (this would be pretty challenging) but being informed about what the food you are eating contains and making sure that you follow a good oral hygiene (tooth brushing) routine.
Sugar and Teeth
When you eat or drink sugary foods, the naturally occurring bacteria in your mouth use the sugar to make acid. It is this acid that attacks the teeth and creates tooth decay and cavities. Your mouth becomes an acid environment for about 30 minutes before your saliva balances (buffers) the acid and you mouth returns to a more neutral state. If you then eat further sugar the 30 minutes will start again.
You might be surprised to know that it isn’t just candy that is high in sugar. Energy drinks like Gatorade and sodas like Coke are all high in sugar, as are the so-called ‘healthy’ breakfast/ granola bars, many breakfast cereals, tomato ketchup and other sauces or dips. It is definitely worth reading the packaging.
Acid and Teeth
Some foods and drink may not be high in sugar but can be as damaging to your teeth as they contain acid, which can go to directly attack your teeth. Diet sodas are a good example as they are sugar-free but are high in acid.
If you drink an acidic drink, for example fruit juice at breakfast, do not brush your teeth immediately afterwards. This might sound counter-intuitive but this is because the acid causes the tooth enamel to de-mineralize (soften) and immediate brushing can brush away the softened enamel. Waiting 30 minutes will enable the enamel to re-mineralize and then you can safely brush.
Tips to help care for teeth
When it comes to candy- and this is especially true for the children at Halloween- eat what you want in one ‘sitting’. This is much less harmful to teeth than constant grazing throughout the course of the day. Once the candy has been consumed wait around 30 minutes and then brush the teeth.
As much as possible I would recommend you cut down on sugary drinks and view them as a special-occasion treat rather than an everyday occurrence. The format of a liquid means that the sugar easily swills around the mouth and very effectively coats the teeth. A drinking straw can be a useful tool here as it directs the drink straight to the back of the mouth, helping it to avoid contact with the teeth. However, drinking a glass of water is even better!
Fruit and vegetables contain valuable nutrients that support good gum health and the action of eating raw fruit or vegetables (eg. an apple or carrot) massages your gums and helps to prevent plaque forming on the teeth. Just be aware that fruit does contain fructose, a sugar and some fruits, such as grapefruit, have a high acid content.
For babies who take milk from a bottle, never let them go to sleep with the bottle in their mouths. The milk pools in their mouths and stay there attacking the teeth as they sleep. Never put any type of juice, sugar water or flavoured milk into a baby’s bottle.
Following these steps will allow you and your children to enjoy the occasional treat without compromising the health of your teeth. Happy Halloween!
