Beware Of Tooth Harming ‘Acids’ In Food And Drinks

Sensitive teeth and a heightened risk of tooth decay could be a consequence if you don’t.

One of the main things you will have been told by your parents about looking after your teeth, along with the importance of brushing them, will have been not to eat too much sugar. This is good advice of course, but sugar isn’t the only substance that our Canterbury patients need to be aware of. Indeed, it isn’t so much sugar that is the problem directly, but the fact that bacteria that feed on it produce acids that attack the tooth enamel. This is how tooth decay starts.

Acids don’t come into contact with our teeth only in this way though, they are common in our diets. From otherwise healthy foods such as citric acids to less nutritious products such as fizzy drinks.

What no fruit?

It is essential that you eat fruit to access many of the vitamins that we need to maintain good health. Excessive consumption of highly acidic citric foods though could soon lead to worn down tooth enamel. Keep them to a sensible level and perhaps eat something like a small piece of cheese afterwards to rebalance the acidity in your mouth. Trends come and go, but there has been a recent one to start the morning with a glass of water with fresh lemon in it. While this might be refreshing, the high levels of acidity in lemons could soon damage your teeth if used in excesss.

Only water?

Some of you might be dreading that we are about to lecture you for consuming fizzy drinks. While it would certainly be better to avoid them altogether if possible, the occasional one will not harm you too much. Do avoid those that are very high in sugar as well though, especially those classed as ‘sports’ or ‘energy’ drinks. Water is certainly the best thing to hydrate with and is non acidic. Try to keep this as your ‘go to’ drink, using others as special ‘treats’.

Other sources

You may not be aware of this but many preservatives in food are acidic. This helps to keep the product in good condition by inhibiting the growth of mould and bacteria etc. While this might be good at improving shelf life, consuming too many of these may add to the damage done by other acidic products mentioned above.

By and large then, do try to keep your consumption of acidic foods and drinks down and drink plenty of water, both for hydration purposes but also to wash away sugars and acids from the teeth surfaces.

Enamel erosion

While tooth enamel is a hard material, it is still vulnerable to attacks by the acid that is produced by bacteria which feed on sugars in our diet. If we consume too much of these sugar-rich items, the enamel is likely to become damaged and the surface gradually worn down. The removal of this protective barrier not only means that problems like tooth decay and root canal problems are more likely, but that you might start to notice more discomfort from sensitivity when anything hot or cold meets your teeth. This can be quite mild initially, but very uncomfortable once it advances.

Although enamel damaged in this way can’t re-grow, Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic do offer a treatment that can be very effective at protecting your teeth from further discomfort and damage. This is usually carried out by attaching porcelain dental veneers to the front surface of your teeth.

Veneers to protect teeth

While some veneers stick directly to the tooth surface as it is, most do require a preparative procedure. This involves the removal of a fine layer of tooth enamel from the front of your teeth using a dental ‘burr’. The thickness removed will vary from case to case, but is usually somewhere around 0.5mm. Once this has been done, impressions are taken of your prepared teeth and your veneers will be made from this. There may be a short wait while these are being produced and we may attach temporary veneers in the meantime for protection. This is usually a short wait.

Once your porcelain veneers are ready, temporary veneers will be removed and old adhesive cleaned away, ready for the new ones to be attached with fresh adhesive. In the rare case that a veneer does become detached, you should never attempt to reattach it yourself, but get in touch with your Canterbury dentists so that we can do this for you.

Finally, your veneers will be trimmed and polished to give them a natural appearance. You will also be given aftercare advice that will help you keep your veneers in good condition for the years ahead.

As always, preventative care is always best so please do re-read this blog as a reminder of how to avoid sensitive teeth. If you would like further advice on this, or if you are already experiencing sensitivity, why not get in touch with us by calling Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic on 01227 463529. Our team are on hand and will be pleased to assist you.