In our last blog post, we talked about how the sugar in fruit juice can cause tooth decay for toddlers. Today's post will answer the question, does sugar really cause cavities?
You have been probably taught since you were a kid not to eat too much candy or else you will have tooth decay. With any luck, the warning has helped with your intake of sugar all the way to your adulthood. But, do you have any idea on how harmful sugar is to your teeth or how to protect your teeth from the harmful processes they start? In reality, there are particular germs in your mouth that uses sugar to decrease the defences of your teeth, which leads to tooth decay.
Sugar alone doesn’t cause cavities; however, there are certain germs living in your mouth that consume the sugar you eat and create acids. These acids then eat through your teeth and produces cavities. So sugar is a component in tooth decay. The bacteria that develop to become plaque uses sugar to fuel it.
They can multiply fast, and the resulting plaque grows big and thick. There are bacteria that convert sugar into a binding agent that they utilize to glue themselves to the surface of the tooth.
Tooth decay happens if the bacteria in the teeth feed on the sugars that you eat, which in turns produces acid that harms the enamel. Every time you eat something sweet, it takes about 20 seconds for the bacteria to convert into acid, which normally lasts for 30 minutes.
Meaning, a single can of soda is less dangerous to your teeth if you drink it a few minutes compared to drinking it within a couple of hours with frequent sipping according to Carole Palmer of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
So now do you see the problem? Every time you consume sugar, and not brushing afterward, the bacteria in your mouth are having a feast. This means pH levels will decrease, leading to tooth decay, which are cavities. Although sugar alone doesn’t damage your teeth, it somehow indirectly causes cavities.
There’s no way to get around it. Eat less sugar and brush your teeth more often so cavities will not proliferate.
