How Food and Drink affects your Teeth
Why the problem?
One of the commonest questions we are asked is what is the cause of a particular dental problem. Often it is either caused by or made worse by what you eat or drink.
Dental Decay
There are three things needed for dental decay to occur:
1. A tooth
2. Plaque
3. Sugar
Theoretically if brushing is perfect then you could eat a lot of sugar and get away with it. However, this cannot be the case all day every day, there will always be times when plaque occurs. Therefore, sugar needs to be concentrated around meal times.
What is Erosion?
Dental erosion is the loss of enamel and dentine, caused by acid attacking the surfaces of your teeth. In tooth decay the acids are from bacteria, however, these usually come from acidic drinks such as fruit juices, fizzy drinks and squashes – even the 'diet' varieties. Tooth erosion is very common and has been on the increase during the past 20 years. Dental erosion is reportedly present in 34.1% of children and 31.8% of adults, and this trend is increasing significantly. It is now estimated that over half of all children aged 15 to 18 in the UK have some dental erosion.
The most erosive food and drinks are:
- Carbonated (fizzy) drinks consumed over a long period of time, i.e sipped aver a few hours rather than drunk all at once.
- Wine, beer, cider (especially white cider).
- Alcopops.
- Lemon in hot water.
- Lemon tea.
- Fruit teas.
- Sports drinks.
- Acidic fresh fruit.
- Pickles.
- Yoghurt.
Sensitive Teeth
Sensitivity can be caused by gum recession, decay and erosion. If the dentist has confirmed that there is no decay then you can manage your sensitive teeth with toothpastes and modifying your brushing technique. Avoiding the foods and drink that cause erosion can also help.
