Your Diet and Your Teeth

As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat.” The foods you choose and how often you choose to eat them can not only affect your general health, but they can also affect the health of your teeth and gums. In fact, while many people are focused on the numbers rising on the scale, they are often times missing the fact that one of the first areas to decline when their diets are less than ideal is their oral health.  It is very important to remember that your diet affects tooth care.

All foods are made up of sugars that break down inside the mouth before they enter into the digestive system. Sugars are your teeth’s worst enemy because as they break down in the mouth, they also linger and promote the growth of bacteria. These bacteria form together and become plaque – that white, sticky film substance that you can feel when you run your tongue over your teeth. Plaque use sugar as a form of energy, making plaque multiply faster in size and thickness. Plaque is difficult to remove, and when it remains on the teeth it produces acid as it eats up sugar.

As with all acid, the acid produced by plaque inside the mouth is corrosive. The acid dissolves the minerals that make your tooth enamel hard, making the tooth porous. Tiny holes in the surface of the teeth will expand until one large hole appears – this is called a cavity.

This may seem like a drastic situation, but in all reality a cavity can be formed very quickly simply by the foods that you choose to eat. While it is important to visit your dentist on a regular basis and to brush your teeth twice a day and floss daily, it is also highly important to watch your diet. Your diet directly affects your teeth because at the source of every single meal that you will eat are your teeth.

Family & Cosmetic Dental Care wants to partner with you to help you achieve the healthiest mouth possible. We are currently accepting new patients, and we welcome the opportunity to serve you and your family. Please call today.

Posted by Mitul Patel DDS, Family & Cosmetic Dental Care
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