It isn’t the sugar that triggers tooth decay. It’s the bacteria, or the damage to your enamel, in the decay progress. Here are facts and myths you should know about sugar and teeth.
Sugar-Free Candy is Harmless
Many studies have reported that sugar-free candies can be just as toxic as their sugared replacements but in a distinct way. Sugar-free candy won’t immediately trigger cavities, but it can persistently chip away at your tooth enamel. Tooth enamel erosion leads to tooth sensitivity, pitting, or chalkiness on the skin of your teeth.
But sugar-free gum is an exception to the myth! Dental professionals agree that sugar-free gum benefits your dental health as it triggers saliva flow, may harden soft enamel and has xylitol. This sugar alcohol tastes sweet but may help block cavity-causing bacteria. Chew well— but select the mint rather than fruit flavors.
Brushing Removes All Traces of Sugar from Your Teeth
It’s true that regular dental hygiene, including flossing or brushing, prevents plaque from piling up on the teeth, but it’s not a fast cure. Brushing your teeth for a few minutes twice daily removes much of the plaque or sugar residue left from eating sweet foods, but some microscopic particles may be left over. By creating enamel-eating acids, sugar attracts bacteria that cause gingivitis and gum disease. So, it would help if you didn’t think you could clean the remains of the chocolate bar you ate and “start over” with white teeth.
Chocolate Is The Worst Candy for Your Teeth
This may not seem realistic, but chocolate is more beneficial for your teeth than the alternative types of candy. The ingredients in cocoa beans hold antibacterial qualities that may help remove plaque. Also, it’s often easier to clean and brush chocolate off your teeth at the night’s end.
This doesn’t imply that you must pick a chocolate shake rather than a fluoride rinse, but you may try to have a block or two of chocolate on Halloween. But try to pick some dark chocolate — this holds less sugar than milk and white chocolate.
Candy is Worse Than Snacks and Chips
Candy may steal the show, but it’s not the only sin for kids to indulge in on Halloween. Salty, greasy, oily chips and crackers might harm your teeth like candy. Their flavored coatings gel to your teeth and make them hard to clean.
It’s Ok to Get Cavities on Baby Teeth Because They’ll Fall Out Anyway
This could be the most damaging myth of all. Good dental hygiene is needed at all ages, particularly for young kids. Baby teeth ruined by cavities can damage a kid’s nutrition, lead to bite alignment problems, trigger infections in the other teeth, and impede mature teeth. It isn’t the sugar that triggers tooth decay. It’s the bacteria, or the damage to your enamel, in the decay progress. If you see your kid has a cavity, fix an appointment with their dentist at home to get it treated.
Foods
A wide variety of foods damage teeth. Tomatoes in pasta paste, curry powder, and berries stick to dental enamel. An organic salad with balsam vinegar sauce is an ugly stain on your teeth. You must also restrict your sugar and fatty food intake, which prompts inflammation inside the body and weakens immunity.
Drinks
Coffee or tea are some of the highest traditional roots of yellow teeth. Still, white and red wine are additionally a source. Additional sources are light and dark fizzy and isotonic drinks with artificial sweeteners.