Ever since we were children, we have heard many times about how bad sugar is for our teeth. Even as adults, we all like to indulge in a sweet treat or drink every once in a while. Sugar consumption itself isn’t actually bad for your teeth, it is failing to properly clean your teeth afterward. Knowing more about how sugar harms your teeth will help you avoid habits leading to poor oral health and hygiene. In this article, we discuss the different kinds of sugars, how they affect our health, and more specifically, how they affect our oral health.
What are sugars and how are they implemented in our everyday meals?
Sucrose is a substance that naturally occurs in plants and is created through the process of photosynthesis. There are varying amounts of sugars in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and more. Commercially extracted sugar comes from beets and sugar cane. Once extracted, sucrose is converted into a crystal-like substance and used in beverages and foods. Every day, we ingest both natural sugars and added sugars in many different foods. From obvious sweetened food like candy and bread to less obvious soft drinks and alcohol, many ways added sugars can be consumed.
How do sugars affect one’s general health?
Ingesting naturally occurring sugar in the form of veggies, fruits, and dairy is healthy. However, eating too much processed or added sugar can have drastic effects on your overall health. Sugar is an addictive substance, it can also impair the learning capabilities and memory of some people. Due to the high-calorie content, sugar can cause weight gain and obesity. Diabetes is the most well-known illness that is linked to excessive sugar intake and can be fatal if left untreated. Also, regular sugar consumption is connected to high stress, heart disease, and liver issues as well.
Sugar and oral health
The key connection between oral health and sugar is the increased risk of tooth decay. Unless you are diligent about properly cleaning your teeth after eating, sugar creates an ideal environment for bacteria to grow in the oral cavity. These bacteria eat away at the tooth enamel, leading to cavities and eventually tooth decay. Visiting our dental office near you on a regular basis will help keep plaque and tooth decay under control.
How to lower your sugar intake
Most individuals have a minor addiction to the release of dopamine caused by the consumption of sweets and sugary food. Because of this, they find it challenging to reduce their daily sugar intake, leading to both oral and overall health issues regardless of age.
Following are some of the practical ways that you can reduce your harmful sugar intake, while still enjoying occasional sugary delicacies.
- Aim for healthier sweet alternatives such as fruit
- Learn how to cook your own meals from scratch to avoid added sugars in processed food
- Try to avoid buying sugar-rich foods altogether
- Reduce the consumption of fast food and soft drinks
- Track your daily sugar intake
Good sugar-related habits for better oral health
When reducing your sugar intake, it is vital to consciously practice habits that decrease the damage caused by the sugars you consume. The following habits and tips will help you enjoy an occasional sugary treat without damaging your teeth:
- Make it a habit to rinse your mouth with water every time you consume sugary foods and drinks
- Use an anti-bacterial mouthwash regularly
- Replace sugary snacks with healthier snacks for daily consumption
- Brush and floss twice a day
- Visit your dental clinic
Why are Dental Visits so Important?
Everyone will experience a trip to the dentist (ideally twice per year). Some may look forward to their visit while others will not. This is largely dependent on their experience while visiting the dentist throughout their life. The one thing to remember is that a dental clinic will give you more benefits than you can imagine. Some patients are not sure of what visiting the dentist can do for their oral and overall health. The best time to educate yourself on the benefits of good oral health and hygiene habits is now.
What to Expect During a Dental Visit
An appointment with a dental clinic can be for a cleaning session, a check-up, or both. The process involves your dentist checking for cavities, plaque, tartar, or gum problems. An oral exam is also performed to check on your tongue, neck, head, and throat for redness, inflammation, or any sign of abnormalities. The process will be discussed throughout this article.
The Importance of a Dental Visit
- A dental visit is a good form of prevention: We all know that prevention is better than treatment. Some complications can be prevented by simply scheduling a trip to a dentist near you. Early signs of a problem can be enough to get you the treatment before it starts to bring you discomfort and unnecessary expense.
- A dental visit can tell you more about your health status: There is more to dental visits than cavity detection. These trips to the dentist can tell you if you have other health issues as they can be linked to oral problems. An example of this is detecting if a patient is prone to diabetes, iron, and vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, heart conditions, HIV, or cancer. As you can see, this can jumpstart your way to better health and early treatment.
- A dental visit can upgrade your oral care game: We think we might have the best oral care habits, but sometimes we don’t. It is always good to have a dentist take a look at our dental health status and check if our oral health routine is formidable. In this way, they can see if we could improve or direct us towards the best options. For example, they can give you suggestions on which toothbrush or toothpaste to use
- A dental visit can spot hidden problems: Too many, the absence of pain is a sign of good oral health. The truth is, some conditions may not have symptoms until they have progressed in severity. Today, dentists can determine decay, alignment problem, or other conditions in no time at all with the use of advanced dental technologies. It is good to have these issues spotted and treated before they become damaging to your overall health and wellness.
- A dental visit can keep emergencies away: Dental emergencies happen at the most unexpected times and places. Most often than not, these situations can worsen with the absence of a good, readily available dentist. Determine the dentists that provide emergency dental services in your area before they happen as this can help you avoid issues in the future.
What to Do Between Dental Visits
The recommended times of dental visits in a year would be every 6 months. This means that we have an allowance for self-care until we reach the next one. There are fundamental things that we should invest in and the following are included:
- Make brushing and flossing a daily habit.
- Brush twice a day and be sure to floss at least once.
- Keep your breath fresh and bacteria-free by using a mouthwash.
Things You Should Know Before Your Dental Visit
Regular visits to a dentist in Kissimmee is the key to having healthy teeth and gums. If there are no oral health issues present or detected, your visit will consist of a visual exam, x-rays, and a deep dental cleaning. The check-up is mainly for assessment while the cleaning session will be for plaque and tartar removal, or possible polishing.