The Excesses of Sugar
While cutting off excess sugar from your diet can improve your health – weight loss, better skin, mental clarity – you also know that the same can benefit your teeth and other oral structures as well. Here are five great ways your mouth can benefit from if you remove excess sugar in your food and drink consumption.
You lower the incidence of tooth decay. Bacteria is normally and unavoidably present in our mouths so that they attack sugar in food debris left on tooth surfaces and crevices. Later the mixture will turn acidic and destroy tooth enamel. Some experts say that it’s not necessarily about how much sugar is consumed but at what speed you’re consuming it at. The longer the teeth are exposed to sugar, the more time the bacteria in your mouth has to create the acid and rot your teeth.
You improve overall health. With less tooth decay and less chance of cavities, tooth loss is minimized. This proves beneficial to overall health as well. Many studies have linked oral hygiene to heart health. A recent study even showed a link between gum disease and risk level for getting heart disease. With less sugar in your diet, you keep your mouth in shape, that in turn positively affects the body.
You’ll have less tooth discoloration. Sugar can cause cavities which in turn cause dark discoloration. This is not like tooth stain which can come from coffee or tea. So if the mouth is clean and as cavity-free as possible, there should be no worry about your teeth turning dark or black from decay and cavities.
Your breath becomes fresher and better. Sugar feeds the bacteria that cause bad breath, so the more sugar you’re eating the more bad breath you’re creating. With less sugar, breath will improve, is fresher and better. Sugar-free candy or gum is a better option than chewing mint gum.
You’ll have a healthier mouth. People are mistaken when they think that fruit juices are not as bad or not as sugary as soda, but sugar is sugar whether it’s coming from fruit or candy. Unless it’s xylitol, researched to hinder tooth decay, any kind of simple sugars are going to affect oral hygiene. From a dentist’s perspective, if you’re not able to completely eliminate sugar from your diet, as long as a healthy mouth is maintained – brushing, flossing, using mouthwash, regular and timely cleanings – your teeth will last.
Ensuring Healthy Mouths in Bellingham
We think of healthy mouths and healthy bodies when we think of less sugar. While that’s a tough act to follow we should at least perfect our oral hygiene and come for regular visits to your Bellingham dentist.