Can You Have a Healthy Mouth if You Just Stop Eating Sugar?
Posted on 10/19/2020 by Mark Bieber
Eating too much sugar has been well documented to be damaging to the health of your mouth by creating cavities. When you consume sugar, the Streptococcus bacteria in your mouth will feed off the sugar which promotes an acidic environment that attacks the natural defenses of your teeth. Excess sugar act's as a catalyst for the creation of cavities by overwhelming these natural defenses and creating holes in the tooth enamel. While avoiding more sugar and switching to healthier snacks is recommended, there are other factors you should follow to promote a healthy mouth such as proper at-home oral hygiene techniques and scheduling regular routine visits with us at the dental office.
Routine Maintenance of Your Teeth
It's recommended that you limit excess sugar consumption but regardless of one's diet, in order to maintain a healthy mouth then you should also have an effective at-home maintenance routine to clean your mouth. This starts with flossing which should be done prior to brushing twice per day and in a method that doesn't just clean in between the teeth but also the crevice between the gum line and the tooth to help prevent certain types of gum disease. After flossing, you should brush your teeth for at least two minutes. Make sure that you are changing the angle of the toothbrush while brushing to get all of the hard to reach areas. Reducing the amount of sugar you eat is helpful but you also need a proper at-home cleaning routine to have a healthy mouth.
Schedule Regular Dental Visits
One of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy mouth regardless of your sugar intake is to schedule routine dental visits with us every six months. During a visit, we're able to clean your teeth thoroughly and examine for problems such as cavities or gum disease that sugar can exacerbate. We're able to identify potential problems before they occur while also advise on the aforementioned flossing and brushing maintenance that will lead to a healthier mouth. Cutting down on sugar is important but to truly have a healthy mouth we recommend scheduling a visit.
Eating too much sugar has been well documented to be damaging to the health of your mouth by creating cavities. When you consume sugar, the Streptococcus bacteria in your mouth will feed off the sugar which promotes an acidic environment that attacks the natural defenses of your teeth. Excess sugar act's as a catalyst for the creation of cavities by overwhelming these natural defenses and creating holes in the tooth enamel. While avoiding more sugar and switching to healthier snacks is recommended, there are other factors you should follow to promote a healthy mouth such as proper at-home oral hygiene techniques and scheduling regular routine visits with us at the dental office.