What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

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What Exactly Does Sugar Do to Your Teeth?
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What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

• Sugar is bad for your teeth. A basic statement,
  but how many times do we hear it and simply
  ignore it? Want a stat from the UAE? How about
  the fact that the average person consumes a
  whopping 42 grams of sugar every day?
• Believe it or not, tooth decay is the most common
  non-communicable disease in the world affecting
  60-90 of school-age children and almost 100 of
  adults. It may also surprise you to learn that
  the treatment of dental diseases accounts for up
  to 10 of the total health spend in
  industrialised countries, and is the number one
  reason why children undergo general anaesthetic.
• In case you still need convincing in order to
  ditch the sugary snacks and soda, lets take a
  look at exactly what sugar does to our teeth
  and why it causes us so many problems.

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What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

• A sip a day leads to decay
• One of the main reasons sugar plays such havoc
  with our teeth is because it is an extremely
  fermentable substance that is to say, it breaks
  down incredibly easily. The entry point for sugar
  into our bodies is of course the mouth, and so it
  is here where the sugars in our food and drink
  first break down. The bacteria in our mouths
  reacts with sugar to create acids, and as Im
  sure we all know by now that acids spell big
  trouble for our teeth.
• When acid attacks the teeth, it has a
  demineralising and decalcifying effect, breaking
  down the tooths structural content and paving
  the way for decay. And these acid attacks take
  place not only while the sugar is in our mouths,
  but also after we swallow. Thats because traces
  of sugar and bacteria continue to live on between
  the teeth for some time.
• Whats more, this is only the beginning of the
  carnage that sugar inflicts on our teeth each
  time we eat or drink those sugary treats. Once
  plaque has formed in the mouth, it uses
  additional sugar as a form of energy allowing
  it to multiply faster, growing in size and
  thickness on the surface of your teeth. This
  process works to dissolve the tooths enamel,
  which in time exposes its inner layers, leading
  to pain, discomfort, cavities, and ultimately,
  tooth loss.

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What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

• A sip a day leads to decay
• Once plaque has formed in the mouth, it uses
  additional sugar as a form of energy allowing
  it to multiply faster, growing in size and
  thickness on the surface of your teeth.
• Beware of the sugars you cant see
• So far, Ive attacked the usual suspects soda,
  candy, sugary snacks. And of course cutting these
  out of your diet altogether is the first thing
  you should do if you want to preserve that
  winning smile. However, one of the main reasons
  for the Western worlds high sugar intake is
  hidden sugars in foods and drinks that many of us
  think are actually healthy.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) recently
  acknowledged the devastating impact that hidden
  sugar is having on our health worldwide, linking
  it not only to tooth decay, but also obesity,
  cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

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What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

• A sip a day leads to decay
• Once plaque has formed in the mouth, it uses
  additional sugar as a form of energy allowing
  it to multiply faster, growing in size and
  thickness on the surface of your teeth.
• Beware of the sugars you cant see
• To take one example, the majority of parents
  still think that store-bought juices are packed
  full of vitamins and so are good for their
  childrens health. In fact, store-bought juices
  are about as bad as it gets because of the
  massive amounts of sugar they contain. The
  reality is that many contain even more sugar than
  soft drinks.
• As for the non-liquid foods, well, most of what
  we buy in the supermarket today has added sugars.
  Everything from cereals to pasta to flavoured
  yogurts to salad dressings all are loaded with
  extra sugars.
• So start reading labels as you aim to cut down on
  your familys sugar consumption. The best bet in
  avoiding sugar is to stick to natural foods such
  as meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and eggs.
  Foods that have as little human influence as
  possible are always the safest.

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What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

• A sip a day leads to decay
• Once plaque has formed in the mouth, it uses
  additional sugar as a form of energy allowing
  it to multiply faster, growing in size and
  thickness on the surface of your teeth.
• Takeaway
• If you are going to consume any of the high sugar
  foods (and Ill admit they really are hard to
  avoid given our diets today), then whenever
  possible brush your teeth thoroughly afterwards.
  If you are not always able to brush after meals,
  drink lots of water or follow up the unhealthy
  eating with some healthy snacks such as carrots
  or celery sticks which can help to remove any
  sugary residue from the teeth and so reduce
  harmful acid build-up.
• Ultimately, if you want to stay cavity free and
  enjoy good dental health, your best defence is a
  mix of healthy diet and good oral hygiene. And
  keep in mind this starts at a young age. So if
  you have children, youll want to help them
  understand that daily brushing and flossing must
  also be accompanied by good diet. Leading by
  example is what we all need to do.

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What exactly does sugar do to your teeth?

• About the author
• Dr. Petros
• D.M.D. summa cum laude
• Cert. Prosthodontics (TUFTS, U.S.A.)
• Dr. Petros is co-director of the Branemark
  Osseointegration Center Dubai. He qualified as a
  dentist in 1995, receiving his dental degree
  summa cum laude from Semmelweis University in
  Budapest. He graduated at the top of his class
  and was also chosen as valedictorian. In 1998 he
  completed the three-year, full-time postgraduate
  specialist prosthodontist training at Tufts
  University in Boston, United States, where he was
  awarded the Postgraduate Prosthodontist
  Certificate. Since 1999 Dr. Petros has been
  working in private practice as a specialist
  prosthodontist, almost exclusively on the
  prosthodontic rehabilitation of dental implants.
  He lectures extensively on same day implants and
  teeth reconstruction protocols. Together with Dr.
  Costa(Cert. Oral Maxillofacial Surgery), Dr.
  Petros is the cofounder of SameDay Dental
  Implants Clinic located in Building 39 in Dubai
  Healthcare City in the United Arab Emirates.

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Thank you!