Is it true that energy drinks can lead to dental erosion? Here's what a dentist in Mt. Vernon, NY, has to say about energy drinks and your teeth.
Did you know that around
26% of people in the United States alone suffer from tooth decay and dental erosion? Tooth decay can happen for various reasons, from not brushing your teeth to eating or drinking sugary substances. Energy drinks, in particular, may play a big part in the development of dental erosion.
If you want to know more about the connection between dental erosion and energy drinks, you've clicked on the right article. Here, you'll see why sugar is bad for your teeth, especially if you don't take care of your dental hygiene or take regular visits to your dentist in Mt Vernon, NY. First, let's take a look at what dental erosion and tooth decay are exactly.
What Is Dental Erosion
Dental erosion is more or less the same as tooth decay and has to do with the quality of your tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in your body, but that doesn't mean it's invincible. Enamel is the translucent material that covers all of your teeth and can be stained if you drink too much coffee, tea, or red wine.
As long as you brush your teeth, floss, and visit your dentist in Mount Vernon, NY, once or twice every year, your enamel should be perfectly healthy. However, if you don't take any precautions when it comes to your dental health, your enamel might be in trouble, especially if you eat a lot of sugary substances.
But why might this be? It all has to do with the bacteria that live in your mouth. The bacteria in your mouth is always there, even when you brush your teeth, but it only becomes harmful once it has food and sugar particles to feast on. For example, if you eat something and don't brush your teeth, the bacteria will flock to the remaining particles of food on your teeth.
Once the bacteria start eating these leftovers, they produce an acid as a byproduct. At this point, if you still don't brush your teeth, this acid will slowly start to break down your tooth enamel. Since this is such a slow process, you likely won't notice the damage to your teeth at first.
The Process of Dental Erosion
As the acid in your mouth continues to break down your enamel, one of the first symptoms of dental erosion you might experience is tooth sensitivity.
Tooth sensitivity is when you feel pain or discomfort when eating or drinking hot or cold substances. This occurs because your enamel has gotten thin enough that the nerves in your teeth are no longer protected and are therefore more sensitive to changes in temperature.
If you continue to ignore dental hygiene practices, the quality of your enamel will only worsen. Besides the acid, the bacteria in your mouth also produce plaque as a byproduct. Plaque is a sticky film that covers your teeth and can be easily removed with a toothbrush.
However, if it is left to sit on your teeth, it will eventually turn into tartar. Tartar is a hard substance that encrusts your teeth and can only be removed with special tools by a dentist, Mount Vernon, NY. This tartar not only damages your teeth, but it can irritate your gums and cause gingivitis as well.
As your enamel continues to break down, you will feel more and more tooth pain. This is because the nerves in your teeth will have less and less protection. At a certain point, your teeth might become infected, or you might lose them.
How Energy Drinks Can Damage Your Teeth
Energy drinks are very popular these days, especially among younger people. They're a great way to stay awake if you need to work or study late. More than that, they taste good.
However, what many people don't know or don't care about is that energy drinks are full of sugar. It's not just the caffeine content in energy drinks that keep people awake; it's the sugar as well. An especially bad habit that many people have is sipping on energy drinks throughout the day.
While this may seem like a harmless thing to do, especially if you want to keep yourself awake and alert throughout the day, it might do much more harm than good. While you can drink energy drinks all day, you likely won't have the opportunity to brush your teeth several times throughout the day.
Because of this, you'll end up bathing your teeth in sugar for hours at a time. Then, your oral bacteria will cling to this sugar and produce mass amounts of acid, which, of course, will start to break down your teeth. Even if you brush your teeth at the end of the day, your teeth have already been subjected to hours of damage.
Some energy drinks might cause more serious problems as well, such as acid reflux. The acid from your stomach will not do your tooth enamel any extra favors.
While you don't need to give up energy drinks completely to have healthy teeth, you shouldn't sip them all day. If you do, try drinking water afterward to wash off any excess sugar. And of course, dental hygiene and
preventative dentistry are always important.
Understanding the Connection between Dental Erosion and Energy Drinks
In short, energy drinks and dental erosion do not go well together. The bacteria that live in your mouth love to consume sugar and produce acid, which can seriously damage your tooth enamel over time. And, of course, energy drinks are full of sugar and sometimes have more sugar than sodas.
To learn more about dental care and visiting your local dentist,
explore our website.
