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It’s been known since the ancient times that sugar is bad for your teeth. But because our liking for sugar has been ingrained into our collective spirits for generations, it’s quite hard to shed the habit. However, the fact still stands: Sugar causes cavities. Of course, there are other factors involved but sugar is the prime suspect. Let’s take a look at the effect the sweet confectionery item has on our oral health.

How Sugar Affects Our Mouths

To understand how sugar affects your oral health, you need to first understand how a cavity occurs. Your mouth produces a lot of bacteria, some are good, most are bad. When you consume sugar, your mouth generates a lot of bad bacteria in the process of digesting it. In the process, an acid gets released and hits the enamel, the protective layer keeping your teeth together. As the enamel gets eroded over time, cavities start to develop on your teeth, which can lead to tooth decay if left untreated. You will know it is a decay when there is a lot of pain when you consume cold or hot drinks.

Now onto the sugar. The sweet substance generates two destructive bacteria: Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus mutans. They strip away the pH content in your mouth, making your mouth dehydrated and unable to generate enough saliva which otherwise could fight off the bacteria. These bacteria produce plaque that, if it continues to build on your teeth and you don’t generate enough saliva to keep them at bay, your mouth becomes more acidic and you start getting cavities.

Keep Our Diet in Check

Your diet plays a role in you getting tooth decay. Usually, consuming high-sugar snacks over some time causes cavities as you take in more sugar than your mouth can fight off. Add to this any slip up in your oral care routine, tooth decay is inevitable. Another food habit that causes cavities is drinking of sugary beverages. Studies have shown that sipping sugary drinks increases the chances of cavities.

Although sugar gives you an instant dose of sweetness to your taste buds and a dopamine hit in your brain, using it often can cause you more harm than good. Hence, to keep your mouth healthy, make sure to moderate your sugar intake, and visit Mountain View Advanced Dental for regular checkups to prevent irreparable damage.