The Truth About Sugar and Your Teeth

In today’s world of information from many sources constantly available at our fingertips on the internet, it’s hard to know what to believe. One day you may read that something is bad for your health and while another expert elsewhere on the internet is telling you that’s really nothing to worry about. Could this be true about the dangers of sugar to our teeth, too? 

Drs. Monroe & Monroe, dedicated and knowledgeable dentists of Pinehurst, NC with decades of experience have some bad news for you though: As it turns out, sugar really is just as bad for your teeth as you’ve always heard.

Sugar Damages Your Teeth

There’s a perfectly good reason dentists like the Drs. Monroe warn against excessive sugar intake: it destroys your teeth. Every food we eat leaves behind particles that combine with saliva to form plaque on our teeth. The naturally-occurring oral bacteria that live in our mouths feed on this plaque on our teeth. The only way to remove this plaque is to brush and floss regularly as recommended by your dentist. If allowed to flourish unchecked, the bacteria will not only devour the plaque but will continue on through the enamel, causing tooth decay.

The favorite food of these oral bacteria is sugar. Although sugar itself is not the cause of tooth decay, it accelerates oral bacteria’s ability to reproduce and destroy your teeth faster. 

Sugar is Hiding in Most Food

Almost every food has sugar, and many drinks contain some form of sugar. Even healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables have sugar, but the primary cause of tooth decay for Americans is the sugar hiding in most processed foods that are available everywhere. However, regardless of whether the sugar is natural or added, it can still lead to tooth decay.

How to Help Your Teeth

We know that cutting all sugar out of your diet is impractical — even dentists consume  some sugar! However, changing from where the sugar in your diet comes is a good place to start. Eating more fruits and vegetables instead of processed food will significantly reduce the amount of sugar your teeth are exposed to and can improve your overall health, as well.

Maintaining a regular dental hygiene regimen that includes brushing your teeth twice daily and flossing every day is the best way to prevent sugar from destroying your teeth. However, you can’t reach all the plaque on your own. Having a professional cleaning by a dental hygienist at Dr. Monroe’s office every 6 months is necessary to remove the plaque that you may have missed.

To schedule an appointment with one of the Drs. Monroe, call our office at  910.420.3670 or schedule online.