Eating Patterns
Do They Affect Your Smile?
Paying a visit to Abbey Road Dental regularly is important, but the way you care for your teeth at home matters just as much, if not more.
Brushing your teeth for two minutes, twice a day using the right toothpaste and toothbrush plays a huge part in keeping your smile healthy and beautiful. Your St John’s Wood dental hygienist can advise you best on which brushing method, toothbrush and toothpaste is right for you.
As well as your oral hygiene regimen, there is another very important aspect of keeping your smile beautiful and that is with what you eat and drink.
If you consume lots and lots of sugary drinks and food, your oral hygiene regimen, no matter how good it is, will not be able to keep your teeth healthy.
Feeding The Nasty Bacteria
Sugar isn’t a nasty ingredient on its own, in relation to your oral health at least. Sugar itself will not hurt your teeth. However, the reaction sugar causes in your mouth can harm your teeth over time. When you consume sugar, the bacteria that naturally live in your mouth thrive on it and omit an acid which then attacks the teeth. The more sugar you consume, the more food you give to the bacteria and the more harmful acid is created as a bi-product. This acid works on your teeth breaking down the enamel until eventually a cavity will form. The cavity can spread deeper and deeper and the tooth might be lost.
If decay is not treated by your dentist it can progress to the inner parts of the tooth and cause issues in the root canals. This infection can be removed using root canal treatment, but the infection can sometimes return. This is why early intervention with a small filling is always best.
Grazers Beware
Whereas eating food bad for your teeth at any time isn’t recommended, if you can consume it with a meal, then the attack from the acids produced is restricted to one time period. However, if you are a grazer, the attack on your teeth can be continual if you consume sugary or starchy snacks throughout the day. So the eating habits of a grazer are much more detrimental to the teeth than a person who eats perhaps a sugary dessert with their dinner, or sugary cereal for breakfast, with no snacks in between.
Developing Eating Habits That Protect Your Smile
The more healthy habits we can develop the better, and your oral health should definitely feature in those efforts. Your smile is valuable and worth protecting!
Try to form the following habits for a healthy and happy smile:
- Avoid excessive drinking and follow government guidelines on alcohol consumption
- Avoid smoking
- Visit your St John’s Wood dentist regularly
- Cut down on sugary and starchy foods
- Aim to eat nutritional foods from all the food groups
- If you do consume food that is bad for you, try to do so during mealtimes to cut down on acid attacks on the teeth
- Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes
- Use the right toothbrush and toothpaste for your needs
These healthy habits will go a long way to keeping your smile happy and healthy everyday. If you do need further guidance, or spot any issues that suggest you need additional advice, please call Abbey Road Dental on 02076241603 and our friendly team will be more than happy to help you.