Sugar is an enemy to your teeth because when it combines with the filmy plaque that coats your teeth, it creates an acid that can erode enamel and begin tooth decay. Depending on any number of factors, the plaque can remain acidic for up to an hour. After that time, the plaque will begin to return to neutral and the danger will pass.
How you consume sugar also is central to how much damage it will do to your teeth. The amount of sugar you consume may, in the long run, be less significant than the way you consume it. Dessert at the end of a meal, say, followed by brushing and flossing, minimizes the exposure of teeth to sugar. Consuming sugary products throughout the day, however, can keep your teeth in a bath of sugar. Sucking on a slow-dissolving hard candy, for instance, keeps your teeth in long contact with acid.
Sugary drinks like soda are equally damaging. Some items that you might think are healthy substitutes for sugar, like molasses, honey or corn syrup, may be more damaging because they are sticky and cling more easily to teeth than does refined sugar. Aside from its effect on teeth, sugar consumption contributes to a variety of human health problems, including obesity.
If you, your family, or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!
Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,
39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360.
