Tag: acidic drinks

Sodas and Teeth DFW TX

Sugary Sodas Linked Again to Higher Chance of Dental Cavities

Posted on | by mel | Leave a Comment on Sugary Sodas Linked Again to Higher Chance of Dental Cavities

Are Sodas Worth the Cost of a Lot of Dental Care?

Sodas and Teeth DFW TX

During the summer months especially, people are going to be drinking a lot of soda. It is used at meals, sipped on through the day, and many people drink some for snacks while watching TV. While many people have heard it is not good for teeth, few people understand what happens when you mix soda and teeth. 

 

Why Sugar Can Cause Dental Decay

There are naturally more than 500 different types of bacteria in your mouth. Some of them are good, and some are bad. In a healthy mouth, these two types of bacteria are balanced. Introducing sugar into your mouth produces an imbalance and the bad bacteria multiply. As it does, it produces an acid that erodes the enamel on your teeth. 

These same bacteria also cause gum disease. Sipping on sodas and other sweet drinks through the day only increases the number of bad bacteria, and this leads to more destruction of the enamel on your teeth. Soon, cavities will appear and your teeth will be stained. 

 

Soda and Sugar

One of the reasons that soda is a problem is because sugar and tooth decay go together. The sugar in soda is sticky and it sticks to your teeth longer than some other foods. Because it sticks to your teeth, it enables bacteria to multiply and cause erosion to the enamel on your teeth. 

Each can or bottle of soda has a lot of sugar in it. More than most people know about. A can of Coke contains about nine teaspoons of sugar. Clear sodas contain about the same amount, and root beer contains even more sugar than Coke.

 

Sodas and Acid

Sodas also contain a lot of acid in them. Each sip you take of soda causes an acid attack on your teeth for about 20 minutes. This acid is in addition to the acid created by the bad bacteria. Sipping on soda all day exposes your teeth to a very powerful acid – phosphoric acid. One study compared the acid in soda to battery acid. Citric acid is the most powerful type of acid used in soft drinks. 

Diet soda often contains no table sugar, but it is not harmless either. It may contain another type of acid.

 

The Effects of Acid

The acid in soda will cause a noticeable difference in your teeth after a while. Because the enamel is getting thinner, if you continue to drink a lot of soda regularly, your teeth will start to yellow more. This is caused by less enamel covering the dentin, which is a darker yellow. The chewing surface of your teeth may be dented, uneven, and rounded. Less enamel can also make your teeth more sensitive to hot and cold foods and drinks.

The acid removes some of the minerals in your teeth, making them weaker. It also creates tiny holes in the enamel of your teeth, giving the acid access to the dentin. It is these holes in your tooth’s enamel that makes it sensitive to certain foods or temperatures. 

 

The Need for Saliva

The saliva in your mouth helps protect your mouth and teeth from the bad bacteria. When you have a good amount of it, it washes away the bacteria, acids, sugars, and helps destroy the bad bacteria. Sodas tend to dehydrate and can make your mouth dry. Many other drinks have this same effect. 

A dry mouth promotes the growth of the wrong kind of bacteria. Some medications will also help to cause a dry mouth, and this can lead to gum disease. 

Saliva also helps to repair damage to your teeth. Healthy eating provides the right minerals in your mouth and it can repair the enamel – but possibly not faster than it is destroyed if you drink a lot of soda. 

 

Evidence of Cavities

One of the key effects of soda on teeth is that it will eventually cause cavities. Some symptoms are that you will have a toothache, brown or black stains on your teeth, pain in a tooth when you bite on something or you may even have a visible pit or hole in a tooth. 

 

How to Prevent Cavities from Soda

Because of the acid in sodas, and the harm it does to the enamel on your teeth, it is not a good idea to brush your teeth right after drinking soda. The acid weakens the enamel, and brushing right away will cause some of it to be knocked loose with your toothbrush. 

Drinking water and rinsing your mouth with it after drinking soda and sugary foods will help to remove some of the acid and sugar. You also do not want to sip soda all day. Instead, drink it rather quickly and follow it up by rinsing with water. 

If you have dental decay from acidic drinks and need tooth decay treatment, MyChampion Dental clinic certified dental specialists’ can assist you. We perform a wide range of dental services, including treating the effects of soda on teeth. Call our Farmers’ branch office for more details

Red wine and teeth

How Safe Is Red Wine for Your Teeth?

Posted on | by mel | 6 Comments on How Safe Is Red Wine for Your Teeth?

Wine Causes More Damage than Just Stained Teeth

Many people enjoy a glass of red wine with their meal. It is considered a staple by some people and they would miss it if not served with their meal. It is also well-known to be capable of producing strong stains, and many people have stained teeth because of it. Besides the red wine teeth, red wine is also capable of producing tooth enamel erosion. 

 

Tooth Discoloration

Red wine, along with tea and coffee contains tannins. This substance can stain your teeth. It can do this because the enamel on your teeth consists of ridges and pits – even though it may look smooth to the eye. When you drink or eat, food particles and the dyes in the wine get caught on the ridges and leave your teeth stained. 

White wine is actually no better for you when it comes to having stained teeth. Although it is not red, it still contains the tannins that are responsible for the staining power of wine. 

 

Acidic Drinks

Being that red wine contains alcohol, it clearly falls into the category of acidic foods. It has a strong pH level of somewhere between 2.9 and 3.5, and this means that it can damage the enamel on your teeth. Drinking wine often can definitely cause acid erosion, and leave you with wine stained teeth. 

The acid literally starts to dissolve the enamel. Over time, it becomes thin. This leads to a changing of the color of your teeth because of the color of the under layer, which is a darker yellow. You may also experience pain because the nerves in your teeth become exposed. This is a problem because enamel does not grow back. 

 

Alcohol and Dehydration

Alcohol is also bad for your teeth because it will dry out your mouth. It is a diuretic, which means it helps you eliminate water from your mouth and body. 

Having a dry mouth is bad for teeth because your saliva helps keep the bad bacteria in your mouth under control. Saliva also helps to strengthen your teeth.

 

Mixing Red Wine with Soda

People who enjoy mixing their red wine with soda are actually causing worse dental damage. Soda has its own acids in them, and a lot of sugar, with Coke having about nine teaspoons per can. The sugar in the soda will cause the bad bacteria in your mouth to grow. When it does, they produce acid, too. The combined acids mean that the erosion process takes place even faster.

 

Cancer Risk

While the health benefits of drinking red wine are often touted loud and clear, some recent studies have found a connection between alcohol and mouth cancer. A look at mouth cancer patients discovered that 75 to 80 percent of them admitted to drinking alcohol often. Cancer is even more likely to develop when combined with smoking. 

 

How to Remove Stains from Teeth

If your teeth are stained from red wine, there are several ways to remedy the problem and get beautiful white teeth again. One way would be to buy a teeth whitening kit at your local store. They work slowly, taking about two weeks to whiten your teeth. It will, however, only get your teeth between one or two shades brighter. 

A faster way is to go to your dentist and ask about teeth whitening options. A dentist can provide you with much whiter teeth faster. Because they supervise the process, they can use stronger chemicals that will get your teeth 1about six shades brighter in just one session. A dentist can also provide you with teeth whitening chemicals to use at home, but they will not be as strong as you can get in the office. 

 

Dental Veneers

Probably the best way to get really white teeth is to get dental veneers. These are porcelain caps that are placed on the front of your teeth. Because they cover your teeth, they are often used to cover up a wide variety of problems. They can be used to hide problems such as chips, wine stained teeth, short teeth, teeth that are slightly misaligned and even gaps between your teeth. After they are applied, they will give you a Hollywood smile. 

Being that veneers are made of porcelain, they reflect light like your natural teeth. They can also be tinted to match the color of your existing teeth. Veneers have the added advantage that when they are taken care of properly, they can last between 15 to 20 years. 

 

Dental Caps

If you have individual teeth that are badly stained, a dental cap can give you a white smile again. Dental caps are also made of porcelain and will look natural. This process removes the top part of your tooth and replaces it with a ceramic crown. A crown can last the rest of your life. 

If you want to know more about how to remove stains from teeth as a result from drinking red wine, you can get help from our expert dental team at Champion dental, Farmers Branch , and regain that beautiful smile. Contact our office today at (214) 747-0763 for more information or to set up a consultation.