It is important to your dental care to understand how sugar can harm your teeth. Here is a guide on how sugar can affect your teeth.

Did you know that more than 26% of adults in the United States alone suffer from some form of tooth decay? Tooth decay and other dental problems such as cavities are the results of poor dental care, but they can also occur from eating too much sugar. However, you might be asking yourself: how can sugar lead to poor dental health?

In this article, we'll be exploring the dangers of sugar when it comes to your dental health. While you don't necessarily have to kick sugar out of your diet completely in order to have healthy teeth, it is important to limit your sugar consumption. Besides sugar, regular visits to a dentist in Bayside, NY, is also important for maintaining your dental health.

To start this article off, we'll take a closer look at how sugar affects your teeth. By knowing more about this information, you can get started on taking better care of your teeth.

How Sugar Can Interfere With Good Dental Care

It's no secret that we humans as a species adore sugar. Sugar can be found from candy to sweet and savory dinners as well as sweet and fizzy sodas. However, sugar might be a little too good to be true when it comes to our dental health.

Interestingly, it has been known that sugar is bad for teeth for thousands of years. In fact, the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, explained that the consumption of sweet and sugary fruits seemed to be linked to tooth decay. However, the people of the time did not bother to believe him, although any dentist 11364 today can tell you that he was right.

So, how can sugar, something that appears so innocent, cause cavities and tooth decay? It all has to do with bacteria. Your mouth is full of bacteria, some beneficial and some harmful.

The harmful bacteria happen to become even more harmful when they come in contact with sugar. This is because as soon as this bacteria encounters sugar, it eats it up and produces acid as a byproduct. Having acid in your mouth, even in small amounts is, of course, not ideal.

This is because acid can be harmful to your tooth enamel. Enamel is the translucent, shiny shell that covers and protects all of your teeth. Enamel is also what makes your teeth hard since it is one of the hardest tissues in your body.

Acid, over time, leaches the essential minerals out of your enamel which causes it to weaken. Luckily, your saliva has minerals of its own which can help to replace those lost from the enamel. However, your saliva alone cannot protect your teeth forever.

Sugar and Tooth Decay

Any dentist on Francis Lewis Blvd will tell you that brushing your teeth is important for keeping them healthy. If you don't, the acid-producing bacteria mentioned earlier, (usually Streptococcus mutans or Streptococcus sorbrinus), will continue to break down your tooth enamel. If this continues, cavities will form and tooth decay will begin.

From that point, if your dental health continues to worsen, you could even end up losing teeth. You don't need a dentist Francis Lewis Blvd to tell you that tooth loss is a dangerous sign.

Beyond the formation of acid by bacteria, the harmful bacteria in your mouth can also contribute to the development of plaque. Plaque is a sticky film that coats your teeth. When it's fresh, it can easily be removed by brushing your teeth and flossing.

However, if you don't clean your teeth, this plaque can turn into tartar. Tartar is a hard material that only a dentist near 11364 can remove.

Plaque is also dangerous for your teeth because it can become acidic. This leads to the plaque slowly eating away at your teeth until cavities start to form.

All this can occur because of the consumption of sugar. Keep in mind that sugar is not only candy and soda. Sugar also comes in the form of carbohydrates which include bread, potatoes, and noodles, among many other foods.

Dietary Habits and Dental Health

You don't want to need to visit a cosmetic dentist in 11364 if you can avoid dental problems in the first place. Avoiding dental problems starts with watching what you eat. First, think about how frequently you eat as well as what you eat.

This is important because if you are constantly snacking, especially on foods that contain sugar such as potato chips or pretzels, you are also constantly introducing sugar into your mouth. This will give the bacteria in your mouth plenty of chances and plenty of time to create acids that will damage your teeth. If you are continuously snacking, you may also have less incentive to brush your teeth because you know you are going to snack again soon.

Sipping on sugary beverages throughout the day is just as bad and ends up with the same results as snacking. The solution is to cut down on sugar and reduce snacking. This will reduce the amount of acid and plaque that will build up in your mouth.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it's never a bad idea to brush your teeth after you eat a meal. This will make sure that any bacteria in your mouth will be washed away, as will any particles of food stuck in your teeth. Flossing is also important to clean out the crevices between your teeth and prevent the development of plaque.

With these tips, you can be sure that the best dentist, Bayside, NY, won't have much to complain about when it comes to your dental health.

Your Dental Health and Sugar

You now know all about how the consumption of sugar can interfere with your dental care. By taking good care of your teeth and watching what you eat, you won't need to always be rushing to and from any dentist in 11364.

To learn more, contact us here.

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