Understanding Acid – The True Culprit Behind Cavities

Sugar often takes the blame for being the worst food product for your teeth, but acid develops from this sugar and bacteria and eats away at the enamel. There are foods rich in this corrosive dental acid as well, and many of them are healthy. Learn more about this acid that grows from the sugars in your mouth and see how it takes its toll on your oral health.

How Acid Develops in Your Mouth

Everyone has a certain amount of acid in their mouths on a daily basis – the problem is when that acid is excessive or is left on the teeth to eat away at their enamel.

When you eat foods that contain simple sugars, acid grows from these and begins to erode the hard surfaces of the teeth. Bacteria and acid from the food you eat sticks to your teeth and the acids they produce do corrosive damage to their dentin, enamel, and cementum.

Eating Your Enamel – Acid and Your Oral Health

The biggest problem that arises from acid is that it eats holes through each layer of your teeth. Cavities are holes in the teeth and are caused by acid from sugars and bacteria. Tooth decay from acid eating away your enamel can cause a variety of problems:

• Weaken your tooth
• Cause pain as your tooth loses its structure
• Loosening or loss of your tooth
• Difficulty eating or chewing with your teeth
• Varying degrees of dental caries

3 Forms of Dental Caries (Cavities)

Arguably the most common problem caused by acid is that it eats craters out of your teeth and causes cavities. What most people do not know is that the type of cavity differs based on how many layers the acid has eaten through. These are the three stages of dental caries:

1. Dental Caries – Only the enamel is damaged
2. Dentinal Caries – The corrosion has progressed into the tooth’s dentin
3. Cementum Caries – The deepest and most rare form of cavities

Which Foods Cause the Most Acid?

All liquids have a rating on the pH meter that shows how acidic they are and food products do as well. The foods with a low pH level are highly acidic and can pose more of a threat to your oral health. Here are some of the foods that are known to be most acidic:

• Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit)
• Tomato products (pasta sauce, hot sauce, ketchup, salsa)
• Alcohol (beer, wine, liquor)
• Coffee
• Cranberries
• Fruit juices

Tips for Minimizing the Acid in Your Mouth

If left on your teeth, acidic foods can cause damage to them over time. But this doesn’t mean that avoiding every acidic food is the answer. Many acidic foods are healthy, so they still can have a consistent place in your pantry. Instead of avoiding acidic foods altogether, just follow these tips for keeping acid from causing dental damage to your teeth:

• Have water with highly acidic foods
• Visit your dentist – they can spot early dental erosion
• Drink lots of water – water and saliva help keep your mouth clean
• Use an enamel-building toothpaste
• Brush & floss twice daily – especially after acidic foods

Learn More about Preventing Acid at Dentistry of Nashville

Now that you understand why acid is one of the biggest threats to your oral health, you can take better actions to prevent it. Along with consistent home care, keeping up with your bi-annual dental visits will do a lot to keep your oral health intact. Drs. Fleming, Elan, and Vaughn have the experience to provide advanced dental treatments and improve your smile. Contact the Dentistry of Nashville today to see what we can do for you.

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See How Your Workouts Can Have a Dire Effect on Your Teeth

Did you know that certain aspects of being an athlete have a devastating effect on your teeth?

Whether you prefer to run for miles at a time or you’re a gym rat who loves tossing heavy weights around, your workout habits can be taking their toll on your oral health. Learn more about why this is and what can be done about it to ensure that your own smile stays healthy.  

The Shredded Body and Rotten Mouths of Olympians

For evidence of how athletes’ oral health is impacted by strenuous exercise, look to this study that focused on 278 visitors to the Olympic clinic and reported stunning facts about their declining oral health. At this clinic for Olympic athletes, at least 75% had diseased gums and 55% had cavities. About one-quarter of the athletes said their dental problems impacted their quality of life during the games. These stats beg the question – why are athlete’s teeth so bad?

3 Main Reasons that Athletes’ Teeth Often Suffer

From rowers to track stars, serious athletes run a greater risk of gum disease than the average person. It’s important to know that this dental damage isn’t caused by their workout at all – it’s caused by decisions that are made surrounding the workout. By keeping these pitfalls in mind, you can engage in your favorite physical activities without your teeth having to suffer for it.

1. Breathing Hard Causes Dry Mouth

Ever notice how it becomes difficult to breathe normally while running? This increased level of exertion means that more oxygen must be circulated throughout the body, and this manifests as harder and more frequent breathing. Ultimately, this leads to dry mouth, a condition that is terrible for your oral health. Dry mouth deprives the mouth of its main defense system: saliva.

1. Sports Drinks are Loaded with Sugar

Are you a fan of Gatorade, Powerade, and other popular sports drinks? It’s important to know that these beverages played a key role in the poor oral health of Olympic athletes in the aforementioned study. From runners to bodybuilders, numerous athletes tend to grab sports drinks that are marketed towards them, not knowing the damage they’re causing to their teeth. Considering that a basic 20oz Gatorade has over 30g of sugar, water is clearly a better option.

1. Snack Choices are Often Bad for the Teeth

Hours of intense exercise means that athletes need to refuel, and their choices are often pre-packaged, quick, and full of sugar. Whether your favorite sports snack includes protein bars, dried fruit, or trail mix, each of these sports snacks will take a toll on your oral health. Ensure that your mid-workout snacks are low in sugar to prevent damage to your smile.

Quick Tips for Keeping your Teeth Healthy While Working Out

While working out can take a toll on your smile, these consequences can be easily avoided with a few steps. Check out these quick tips for keeping your teeth healthy as an athlete:  

 

• Choose Water Instead of Sports Drinks

 

You need to stay hydrated during your workout and water can make that happen without filling your body with extra sugar.

 

• Make Your Own Electrolyte Water Sports Drink

 

If replenishing electrolytes is a concern, there’s still no need to rely on store-bought sports drinks. With a few simple ingredients, you can make your own instead! Finding your own favorite recipe for an electrolyte rich sports drink will save you money on brand name sports drinks. Try these five variations you can make yourself.

 

• Plan Healthy Snacks Instead of Packaged Sports Bars

 

While there are some healthy, natural, and low sugar options for protein bars and sports snacks, most of them advertise as if they’re healthy while being loaded with ingredients that aren’t. Take the guess work out of it by putting together some snacks you can be proud of: Look to natural snacks like baby carrots, cucumbers, apples, and bananas to keep you fueled for your workout.

Count on Dentistry of Nashville to Restore Your Smile!

Our Nashville dentists have a strong appreciation for athletic hobbies. In fact, water skiing, tennis, and other sports are among our favorite activities. We understand that serious athletes face additional risks to their oral health that the average person does not. You can depend on us to examine your unique condition and put together a treatment plan that takes your needs into account – Contact us today!

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