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Dental Health and Your Diet
Sugar is the main cause of dental decay
when there is bacteria present. More important than the amount of sugar you
take is the frequency of it. Probably the
worst thing you can do to your teeth is to hold a soda and have a sip every
few minutes during a long period of time; the same is true for snacking. It is
recommended that if you want to have a snack or a soda or juice it is better
to have it after food, as dessert or have it in one sitting. Eating or
drinking something sweet during a long period of time creates a
constant supply of sugar for bacteria that cause tooth decay!
It is
important to know all the sources of sugar. It is not just everything that
is sweet but anything that can turn to sugar like pieces of bread. Cutting
down your sugar intake is good for cavity prevention as well as general
health.
When you
have to have sugar! The best way to prevent cavities is to prevent the sugar
from staying next to your teeth. Brushing after eating sugar, rinsing your
mouth with Fluoride mouth wash or chewing sugarless gum can help. But
nothing has the effect of avoiding sugar!
Is there
any kind of food that prevents tooth decay? Well, not really. Some people
believed that chewing foods like apple and carrots may have some plaque
removal effect, but they still contain some sugar so any advantage of them
is not clear.
Another
group of food that causes significant damage to teeth structure is acidic
foods. Things like lime, lemon and grapefruit, if in frequent contact with
teeth, can cause serious irreversible damage (erosion) to your teeth.
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Oral Health and Nutrition