Tooth Decay: Common Causes and Teeth-Friendly Options

It’s that time of the year when the sweet smell of holiday food being cooked dominates every kitchen. House-hopping to visit relatives and godparents and attending family reunions and Christmas parties fill up our schedule, all meaning we would be sinking our teeth into tons of sweets, meat, fruitcakes, and other scrumptious food for feasting. Indeed, the more food we indulge in during the holidays, the more we need to look more closely at dental care. After all, our teeth are our bodies’ first food processors.

Tooth Decay
Sweets have always been blamed for poor dental heath, especially of children. But the truth is, there are other kinds of food that affect oral health worse than sweets do. Foods high in carbohydrates (such as pastas) or acid (like sodas) pose greater risk to our teeth.

Dentist Matthew Arce, D.M.D., explains that tooth decay starts when bacteria, which live in plaque on teeth, feed off the carbohydrates and sugar in the food we eat, and produce acid in the mouth. The acid then erodes the tooth enamel (the tooth’s outside white covering) and causes decay and/or makes our teeth and gums sensitive.

Here are the most popular culprits in holiday foods and its effects on our teeth:

1. Sweets
Candy canes, goody bags filled with sweets, and boxes of chocolates come in loads and bundles during this jolly season. Dr. Arce explains, “Sweet, hard candies can contribute to teeth decay and cavities because of the high sugar content. Moreover, hard candies stay longer in a person’s mouth, as compared to chocolates, which melts quickly, leaving little time for it to attack the teeth and cause cavities.”

Desserts like leche flan have caramelized sugar topping, so it may be best to limit its space on your plates. Indeed, too much sweets is bad for the teeth, thus, should be consumed in moderation. And always remember to drink water and brush your teeth after treating yourself to goodies and sweets.

Click here to learn more about tooth decay and its common sources.

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Read on to learn more about tooth decay and its common sources.

2. Starches
Our bodies break down carbohydrates into simple sugars: glucose, fructose, maltose, and lactose. Fermentable carbohydrates break down in the mouth, whereas others don’t break down until they move further down the digestive tract. “It’s the fermentable carbohydrates that work with bacteria to begin the decaying process and eventually destroy teeth,” says Dr. Arce.

They may not be your usual suspects but food such as bread, crackers, and breakfast cereals can also contain these fermentable carbohydrates. Fruitcakes and pies are also candidates for having high fermentable carbohydrates.

Starchy food also has a tendency to be chewy. So the longer food stays in our mouth, the more acids will be produced. Sticky carbohydrates, such as raisins or Simbang Gabi’s puto bumbong and bibingka, can do more acid damage.

Non-sticky food that creep into the small corners of the teeth are also a problem. Dr. Arce explains, “The starch found in crackers or potato chips, for example, results in cavity-producing acids, especially if these foods are stuck on your preschooler’s teeth or get deposited in the molars.”


3. Acids
Sodas are more harmful than fruit juices, though both contain sugars and acids. A 20-ounce bottle of soda contains about 17 teaspoons of sugar and 250 empty calories. “Not only is its amount of sugar detrimental to teeth health, but soda also contains phosphoric, citric, tartaric and/or carbonic acid that are linked to the breakdown of tooth enamel, which may lead to sensitive teeth and dental cavities,” Dr. Arce stresses. Fruit juices also have natural sugars that can also cause tooth decay, but is a healthier option. While acid is present in alcohol, wine alone will not rot the teeth but it can wear away the teeth’s enamel.

Citrus fruits are also highly acidic, and can make the mouth more acidic. The effects of acid exposure are cumulative, so every little bit counts. Try drinking with a straw directed right at the back of your tongue to minimize contact with the teeth.

 

Click here to read more about teeth-friendly alternatives.

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Read on to learn more about teeth-friendly alternatives.

The teeth-friendly gang
There are a number of low-acid nutrients that reduce the risk of a particular food, such as protein, fat, phosphorous, and calcium. These low-acid nutrients prevent acid build-up
in the mouth, resulting in less tooth decay. Adequate vitamin C and calcium intake also help maintain healthy gums and teeth.

1. Cheese
Queso de bola has long been a staple in our noche buena feast. Food like cheese, milk, and nuts are low-risk foods because they are low in sugar and high in protein, calcium and phosphorous. If you can’t rinse your mouth or brush your teeth after eating tooth-decaying food, try biting a slice of cheese; it helps balance your mouth’s pH level. It also preserves and rebuilds tooth enamel and produces saliva, which kills the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.

2. Fatty food
Lechon’s mouth-wateringly crispy skin and the fat that comes with it may actually help protect teeth. Fatty food leaves an oily layer on oral tissues, thus, lubricating food transport in the mouth and stimulating saliva production. But of course, you still have to watch how much and what kind of fat you consume.

3. Fruits, Vegetables, and Fiber
Eat more fruits, vegetables and high-protein snacks that have high water content, vitamin C, and fiber, which lessen the harsh effects of sugar on teeth. Fiber in food helps in cleansing the teeth during chewing, adds Dr. Arce.

The extra chewing needed to consume naturally coarse food such as celery or carrots produces plenty of saliva, too. Its abrasive quality helps massage the gums and scrape out food particles and plaque caught in between the teeth.

Fruits high in vitamin C like kiwi help build the collagen network in the gums, which prevents it from becoming tender and more susceptible to bacteria. Cranberries also contain chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to teeth.

 

Click here to see more teeth-friendly alternatives.

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Read on to see more teeth-friendly alternatives.

 
4. Water
Drink water to keep your gums hydrated; it’s the best way to stimulate saliva—your body’s greatest defense against the bacteria that cause plaque and cavities. Rinsing your mouth with water also helps wash away trapped food particles that decompose in the mouth and cause bad breath.
“If you eat one sticky sweet every half hour, the balance of acid in your mouth never gets a chance to recover. This is when cavities start to form. It is not the level of sugar in your diet that rots your teeth, but how often you eat them,” says dentist Dr. Arce. So, limit snacking on sugary, starchy, and acidic food.

 

Photography by Christian Halili

SOURCES:

• Matthew Arce, D.M.D., dentist, Manila
• “10 Foods For A Healthy, Beautiful Smile: Protect Your Teeth And Gums With These Stellar Foods—Diet And Nutrition: How To Eat Right,” by Linda Knittel, published in the magazine Natural Health, Dec. 2002
• Websites: tuftsjournal.tufts.edu; msnbc.msn.com