Why do I have tooth decay?
A common question in the dental clinic. We all know that chocolate is bad for teeth but a lot of people don’t fully understand how tooth decay works. Small changes in our diets and lifestyles can have a huge impact on your risk of developing decay and can save you a lot of money and pain in the future.
There are 3 key factors that drive tooth decay:
Plaque
Sugar
Time
Plaque is an accumulation of bacteria that gathers around your teeth. It relies on sugar (from your food) to live. Once it has gobbled up any sugars present in your mouth, it will excrete an acidic substance as waste onto your teeth which erodes them down and eventually causes a hole. Sounds disgusting right? Initially, these holes don’t cause us any pain but as they get big bigger and closer to the nerves of our teeth we experience pain/toothache and at that stage, we need to remove the decayed parts of the affected teeth and rebuild them with a filling.
So now you know that these little bugs are using your teeth as a toilet, we will give you some advice on how you can stop this from happening.
How do I prevent tooth decay?
Reducing how long sugar is in your mouth for
It’s not about how much sugar you have, it’s about how long it’s around your teeth for. Simple. Of course, a diet high in overall sugar is not good for your health but as far as your teeth are concerned the volume of sugar you have each day is not important. If you binged on a big share sized bag of Oreos all in one go, washed it down with lots of water and brushed your teeth immaculately straight away, your risk of tooth decay is much less than someone who nibbles at 1 biscuit throughout the entire day. Plaque requires some time to process the sugars present in your mouth before it becomes harmful so just be mindful of how long food debris is left around your teeth.
Limit the number of sugary intakes you have
Avoid snacking in between meals with sugary items and substitute them with non-sugar alternatives
Take your teas and coffees without sugar
Avoid snacking on fruit juices and energy drinks
Breakfast cereals/cereal bars are surprisingly high in sugar, in fact, a lot of ‘healthy snacks’ that you find in shops are very sugary especially if they are fruity or fruit flavoured
If you do end up having a sugary snack, then you can significantly reduce your tooth decay risk by drinking plenty of plain water after each snack, chewing on some sugar-free chewing gum or rinsing with some mouthwash.
Removing plaque
As well as starving the plaque of sugar, we can also remove as much plaque from our mouths as possible. This is why dentists advise making sure that you brush your teeth morning and night every day. By brushing well, you are removing any build-up of plaque from your teeth as well as removing any left-over food particles. It is also important to note that most decay occurs in between your teeth where they touch each other, your toothbrush can’t get to this area and that’s where flossing becomes extremely important.
Invest in a good electric rechargeable toothbrush (you don’t need a really expensive one)
Start flossing in between your teeth as often as possible (daily is ideal)
Use mouthwash, sugar-free chewing gum and lots of plain water in between snacks and throughout the day
Fluoride
As we grow more and more conscious about what we put in our bodies, a lot of patients are telling me they have switched to using ‘natural’ toothpaste and that they do not want to use fluoride-containing products.
Fluoride is a chemical, in fact, EVERYTHING whether natural or man-made is made up of chemicals and yes, if you started to ingest fluoride at high doses, it will have very detrimental health effects. The same can be said for anything, too much water can cause health issues as well. This is why the fluoride content in toothpaste is controlled to a dose that will be safe for use … and also nobody is telling you to eat your toothpaste! Certain people who have a lot of decay will be recommended high fluoride toothpaste and these are prescription-only medicines given to those who can use them safely.
We discussed earlier how plaque bacteria softens the enamel as it feeds on sugar, fluoride is the substance that has the ability to bind to this softened layer and make it more resistant to future acid attacks by plaque. That is why fluoride plays a key role in preventing the progression of tooth decay.
Use a toothpaste that contains at least 1350ppm fluoride (For kids aged 0–6, 1000ppm Fluoride is enough)
My message to people who are concerned about fluoride is quite simple. Our need to use fluoride toothpaste is a reaction to our diets. If you can guarantee that your diet contains 0 … absolutely 0 refined sugar and carbonated/acidic beverages, then feel free to safely use fluoride-free toothpaste as well. But I would find it hard in this day to find anyone who is not taking in sugars from somewhere.
It’s as easy as that
Like we said earlier, a few simple changes to your lifestyle can prevent your teeth from decaying away, saving you from pain and expensive dental treatment.
If you want to read the Department of Health Toolkit document that guides preventative advice in the UK and its evidence base, you can read it here.