Effects of Sugar on Dental Health

When we talk about sugar and its effects on teeth, almost everyone assumes about tooth decay as a result of this consumption. However, a very few of us really know how this tooth decay happens. Well, it is not the sugar itself that causes tooth decay. In fact, it is a chain of events which take place after you eat sugar. Having that said, it is important to know how to prevent tooth decay from ruining the oral health of your family.

The development of cavities

There are millions of bacteria present in our mouths. Many of those bacteria are beneficial for the oral health as they maintain an ecosystem of the mouth. However, there are a few types which can be pretty harmful for the teeth, gums and oral health in general. Such bacteria release acid in the mouth. This acid then reacts with the shiny surface of the tooth called enamel. As a result, a hole is created in the enamel. This hole is also known as cavity. It allows the bacterial infection to travel through the enamel and reach the inner layers of the tooth, leading to the inner tooth infections and even tooth loss.

A constant battle

If we look at the ecosystem of oral cavity, our teeth and gums are generally under the bacterial attack round the clock. But it doesn’t mean that those harmful bacteria are meant to succeed in this battle. Several other friendly elements keep on reversing the damage done by the bad bacteria. The bacteria leech minerals from the teeth. This process is known as demineralization. However, the natural process of reversal puts back the missing minerals into the emptied slots. This process is known as re-mineralization. It is basically done with the help of saliva which contains a lot of minerals such as calcium and phosphates. Fluoride is another material which helps in the tooth repair. Nevertheless, this damage repair is possible if bacterial action is triggered by normal amount of sugar. If you each too much of sweets regularly, you might not be able to get your teeth repaired with your normal immune system.

Thus, you need to limit your sugar intake to normal if you truly want to avoid your teeth from getting decayed.

Ways you can re-mineralize your teeth

When it comes to re-mineralizing the teeth, first thing that you should take into consideration is the prevention of foods which bring too many of bacteria into action. Apart from that, you can chew sugarless chewing gum which contains an ingredient known as xylitol. This ingredient is known for stimulating the saliva. Then you need to make your diet friendly for your teeth. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products bring a lot of calcium into the body system. Green and herbal tea can also be pretty helpful in this regard.

Fluoride is the ultimate solution to tooth decay prevention and reversal. Therefore, you can get in-office and at-home fluoride treatment to give your teeth necessary strength.