What causes tooth decay?

What causes tooth decay?

The mouth is full of bacteria. It is in the saliva, the plaque… everywhere. It is impossible to get rid of the bacteria. Some thrive on turning sugars into acids, and it is these bugs that cause dental decay and cavities.

Each time you have any intake of sugar (even one mouthful), the bacteria produce acids that start to dissolve the teeth for around 50 minutes. It doesn't even need to be sugar. Soft drinks (even sugar-free diet drinks) are acidic (read the ingredients labels!) so the teeth are attacked by the acid in the drink straight away and also from the acid produced by the bacteria. The net effect is that the teeth dissolve at an even faster rate.

Saliva neutralises the acids after about 50 minutes and the teeth stop dissolving. However, even just one more mouthful of a sugary food, or sip of a soft drink, and the teeth will dissolve for another 50 minutes. With frequent snacks and soft drinks, the teeth will be dissolving every hour you're awake. They just can't recover and the result is cavities. It makes very little difference if you brush your teeth five times a day, the teeth will still dissolve and cavities will result, guaranteed!

eating healthy food can prevent tooth decay

 

We all have to eat so what can you do to minimise decay? All you have to do is minimise the number of snacks, try to choose healthy snack options and if you need to eat sweets and treats incorporate them into your main meals. Result.. no more decay! If you need to eat between meals some things are OK. Most dairy products and vegetables are fine to have as snacks. You can drink water, milk, coffee and tea (with artificial sweeteners). It sounds easy, and it is. The rest is up to you.

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