Sugar, or sucrose as it is scientifically known, is a sweet, crystallized substance obtained from various plants, most commonly sugar cane or sugar beet.
It is used to sweeten various beverages or foods, as well as by micro-organisms for breeding and growth.
Sugars in food and drink play a major role in the development of tooth decay. Bacteria in plaque use sugar as an energy source and release organic acids as waste products, which gradually dissolve tooth enamel.
Your teeth are often attacked by organic acids resulting from the fermentation of sugar by micro-organisms in the oral cavity, but this damage is reversible.
The acids bind minerals in enamel through a process called demineralization. Fortunately, the natural remineralization process replaces those minerals and strengthens your teeth again and your saliva plays a key role.
Saliva contains minerals such as calcium and phosphates to help repair teeth.
Fluoride is another mineral that helps strengthen weakened enamel. However, if you eat sweets in excess throughout the day, replacing lost minerals will be difficult or impossible to prevent the effects of sugar on your teeth.
What can we do to limit the negative effects of sugar on teeth?
First, try as much as possible to limit the amount of sugar in your diet, replacing it with healthier and gentler on your teeth.
An alternative to sugar may be xylitol, which has the same sweetening power as sugar but none of the negative effects that sugar has.
Xylitol is commonly found in sugar-free chewing gum and candy, as well as in toothpastes.
It has the advantages that it can prevent bacterial cavities and inhibit plaque build-up. However, xylitol is best consumed in moderation.
It is recommended that after consuming foods with high sugar content, brush your teeth using a fluoride toothpaste and floss or mouthwash regularly.
Tooth brushing can be replaced, when this is not possible, by chewing sugar-free gums, which have the property of stimulating the salivary glands, thus increasing saliva flow, which is the best natural defense against demineralization.
You should also try to avoid anything that could have the opposite effect by dehydrating your oral cavity, such as alcohol and alcohol-based mouthwashes.
In addition, it’s good to cut down on carbohydrates and avoid sweet, sticky foods that can adhere to tooth surfaces.
It is also very important how quickly sugar is consumed, because the longer it is in contact with your teeth, the greater the risk of tooth decay.
In conclusion, sugar affects the structure of your teeth in a negative way, leading to dental problems that can only be solved by your dentist.
To preserve the integrity of your teeth for as long as possible, it is necessary to be aware of the destructive effects of sugar and to try as much as possible to limit it in your diet.
