How Does Sugar Affect Your Dental Health?

It’s common knowledge that sugar is harmful to your overall health. What about your dental health? How sugar affects your dental health is worth knowing to protect yourself from tooth decay and cavities. 

Your Mouth Is a Battlefield

Your mouth is a dwelling place for different types of bacteria. While some are beneficial, others are harmful to your oral health. These bacteria digest sugar to produce acids. The acids produced are harmful as they demineralize the enamel on your teeth.

Saliva, along with minerals like calcium, phosphate, and fluoride from water and toothpaste, helps to strengthen the teeth by remineralizing the tooth enamel. However, too much sugar can be a lot to handle for the saliva to work on.  

When the acid formation persists, the enamel eventually loses its minerals. This results in cavity formation. If left untreated, it spreads to the other healthy teeth which may cause pain and even tooth loss. 

Sugar Attracts Bad Bacteria

The two types of dangerous bacteria that are found in the mouth are Streptococcus Mutans and Streptococcus Sobrinus. Both feed on sugar to form plaque on your teeth. 

Plaque is a yellow-colored sticky substance that covers the teeth. If it is not cleaned either by saliva or by brushing, your mouth becomes acidic and cavities start to form. 

Sugar Lowers Your Mouth’s pH

The pH scale helps measure a solution to determine if it is acid or base. When the pH of plaque drops below 5.5, the minerals will be dissolved by acidity and may destroy the tooth enamel. 7 is the neutral state. 

Dietary Habits to Avoid

• High-sugar snacks: Frequent consumption of high-sugar snacks is not just unhealthy for your overall health, but also causes tooth decay. 
• Sugary and acidic beverages: Common sources of sugary liquids are energy drinks, soft drinks, and juices containing a large amount of sugar. Drinking these twice daily increases your chance of teeth cavities. 
• Eating sticky foods: Sticky foods like breath mints, lollipops, and hard candies stay in your mouth for a prolonged period, giving the sugar enough time to produce more acid. 

Visit All Smile Dental for dental checkups at either of our locations. Contact us at (209) 668-3736 to get in touch with All Smile Dental, 1647 Countryside Dr, Turlock, CA 95380. Or contact us at (209) 409-8839 to visit us at 110 Carver Rd. #5, Modesto, CA 95350. You can also schedule an appointment online to reach us.