If we had to list the food items that have to be cut down on our dentists’ instructions, Sugar definitely tops the list. Sugar is unquestioningly a tasty ingredient and adds a whole lot of flavors to the food we eat. Right from sweets to the preserved juice we consume, every dish is high on sugar content. This is sure to have a highly damaging effect on our teeth unless we take immediate steps to wash down the sugar we consume. If Oral care is too much effort, then what if we discussed how much sugar is safe for our teeth? That way, we have both the intake and oral care under control.
Most importantly, the damaging of your tooth depends on the frequency of the sugar intake. One must know that in the presence of Sugar and carbohydrates, bacteria produce acids which contribute in demineralizing enamel, dentin and cementum. The more are exposing your teeth to such kind of environment the more are the chances of attracting dental caries.
Dental caries is a microbial infection which slowly demineralizes the tooth and eventually destroys the hard tissues in the oral cavity as mentioned above. So reducing the intake of Sugar is one of the prime precautions you can take so that you do not suffer from dental caries. You must remember that chewy and more sugary foods like candies and dry fruits which adhere to the tooth much faster and stay for a longer period of time. So you should eat such foods in meals and prefer to brush after the meals. Dentists recommend that you should change your brush after every 3 months period of time.
American Dental Association has recommended to limit the amount of Sugar a child consumes and not to feed babies with milk bottles during sleep. Even mothers should not share their used utensils with their babies as it might pass the dental diseases or defects to the child. Adults can prevent such infections by chewing gum like xylitol which help to keep away the bacteria from the tooth. Xylitol plays an important role in preventing plaque which forms a yellowish layer on the tooth surface. Also it helps to create natural buffers which control the pH of the oral cavity thus preventing the degradation of hard tissues of tooth.
This does not mean that you will leave consuming Sugar. You can consume it in a limited and well controlled quantity so that you can enjoy the pleasure of Sugar like candies, cold drinks, pan cakes and other sweet dishes as well as enjoy healthy oral cavity far away from dental infections.
