We all love a sugar filled sweet every once in a while. But it turns out that if we indulge in one too many sweets, our teeth will have to deal with the consequences. Avoid bombarding your taste buds and teeth with sweets by first understanding what happens behind the scenes of a sweet-filled food fest.
Cavities
An excess of sugar in the mouth is the main ingredient that a cavity needs in order to form. Harmful bacteria latch onto sugar and turn it into the acid that destroys tooth enamel. As a result, cavities are formed as bacterial infections that occur from acid buildup in the mouth. Giving your mouth a proper cleaning and ridding it of sugar will mean that bacteria doesn’t have a host to latch onto. If cavities are not adequately taken care of, they can penetrate deeper into teeth and lead to pain and tooth loss.
The Daily Struggle
We brush our teeth every day in order combat the never-ending buildup of bacteria in our mouths. Luckily our teeth are also doing their best to combat acids that build up as a result of sugar and bacteria working in tandem. Remineralization is the process of having saliva provide our teeth with the minerals lost as a result of acid. Fluoride treatments provided by your San Diego-based orthodontist can also strengthen teeth against attacks from acid.
Prevention
Brushing, flossing, and fluoride treatment each play a part in the trifecta of protection against sugar. That being said, we can drastically decrease the chances of tooth decay and erosion if we choose to eat foods that are low in sugar. For further questions regarding the impact of sugar on our teeth, ask your nearby orthodontist.
