Effect of diet (espicially sugar) on tooth decay.Effect of diet (espicially sugar) on tooth decay.

Before we start talking about the effect of diet on tooth decay prevalence we should first understand how decay start and how could the small bacteria break the hardest material in the human body.

how  decay happen??

Every tooth is covered with a very thin film composed of saliva proteins and many other materials. If the patient is not brushing regularly this thin bio film will be transformed to dental plaque.  Bacteria become incubated in the plaque this film once it formed. When the patient eat or drink something that contain carbohydrates especially in the form of sugars these bacteria feed on this carbohydrates and ferment the sugars producing acids as a byproduct. The produced acid dissolve the calcium from the  enamel surface. This reaction of the bacteria with sugar happen with every patient and on every tooth

so what is the role of  brushing and flossing?

There are two factors that determine if the tooth will have tooth decay or not, After the previous reaction. The bacterial count and the time of contact between the produced acids and the tooth surface. As we mentioned before the bacteria is incubated in the plaque layer and the plaque is giving the bacteria the method to become attached to the tooth and prevent the washing action of saliva, So if the plaque remains on the tooth for a long time without adequate brushing the bacterial count will increase. When the bacterial count increase there will be more acid which will dissolve more calcium than the saliva can refund(saliva contains calcium and help in rematerializing the tooth surface).

Also the plaque layer is semisolid or gel in consistency when the bacteria produce acids the plaque will prevent its washing by saliva and will keep it on the tooth for a long time witch will cause more calcium to be lost.

Any way when a large amount of acids is produced by bacteria the calcium dissolved and the  surface become rough which is giving the bacteria a bitter retention on the surface. After dissolving much calcium a cavity is formed in the superficial enamel layer and the process continue if not treated till the bacteria reach the inner dentine layer that is much weaker in calcium, contain more organic material also contain tubules that can be filled with bacteria this layer can be destructed really faster than the strong enamel layer and the if the decay is not treated the bacteria can reach the pulp causing pulp death.

So after this complicated explanation lets get back to he main subject of this article witch is the effect of diet on tooth decay.

Is tooth decay really related to sugar intake?

yes , For sure yes .studies proved that sugar mainly sucrose, fructose and glucose amount and frequency  of use is closely related to dental decay. Even countries with a higher sugar consumption has more tooth decay  than others. Also dental decay decrease on restriction of sugar, like strict diet for a long time.

What types of food that can produce more tooth decay?

1-Fist the food that contains sugars like we mentioned before.

2-Sticky food produce more caries as it remain in the mouth for a longer periods.

3-Also frequency of sugar containing diet eating or drinking has great influence on tooth decay prevalence, The more frequently you eat sugars the more dental decay you get even if the amount of sugar is small each time. So snaking or “grazing” will produce much more decay that the 3 main meals can make. the cause that with a high frequent sugar uptake the acidity of the plaque will remain high for a prolonged periods with the resultant calcium dissolution  so the decay will begin to happen.

Useful tips to prevent tooth decay :

1-Non sugar sweeteners: Sorbitol, saccharine,and aspartame don’t produce tooth decay so try to replace the sugars with the non sugar sweeteners as much as possible.

2-“Tooth-friendly” sweets  identified by the tooth friendly logo these sweets contain non sugar sweeteners so try to love it lol. But should be avoided with young children because it may cause some GIT disturbance.

3-Sugar free chewing gum: It is very useful as it can stimulate saliva production so wash the teeth also has a a mechanical cleaning action.

4-Carbonated beverages like cola or soda  is really acidic and can help in enamel  material destruction via erosion or help of decay bacteria acids to dissolve the tooth calcium. Notice here that we are talking about the acid inside the cola and not the sugar so even “diet” soda will have almost the same effect.

5-Fiber rich  natural food like vegetables can help in preventing tooth decay by the mechanical cleaning action as it simply take the bacteria away from the tooth surface.