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  • Dental Services
    • Children’s Dentistry
    • Dental Cleaning
    • Dental Sealants
    • Dental X-Rays
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    • Dental Crowns
    • Dental Bridges
    • Root Canals
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    • Wisdom Tooth Extraction
  • Locations
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    • Chicago – Austin
    • Aurora
    • Joliet
    • Blue Island
  • Payment Options
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    • Children’s Dental Tips
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The Link Between Sugar and Cavities

May 9, 2019
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  • Dental Tips
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Sugar cubes in the shape of a tooth that has a cavity

It’s common knowledge that sugar isn’t good for your teeth, ever since you were young, your dentist and your parents have probably told you to be careful of eating so much sugar. Why? Because sugar rots teeth and causes cavities.

What Causes Cavities?

While sugar may not directly cause cavities this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t worry about your sugar intake or eat as much as you’d like. Just because sugar doesn’t cause cavities, it doesn’t mean that it helps prevent cavities.

In your mouth, there are a lot of different kinds of bacteria that live. Some are good kinds of bacteria, and some are bad. As you eat sugary foods, you are feeding the bad bacteria. That bacteria when it’s fed produces an acid, and that acid is what eats away at your enamel and produces cavities. Since the sugar is what starts the process of a cavity, it’s not the direct cause of a cavity.

Can you eat Sugar?

There are a lot of healthy foods that have natural sugar in them, like fruits and vegetables. Your body needs those natural sugars to thrive and grow. No one should completely cut out all sugar just because sugar correlates with your teeth getting cavities. There are certain foods like desserts and candy that you should keep at a minimum because of this though to keep your teeth cavity-free.

How to Prevent Cavities with a Sweet Tooth

If you are the kind of person who can’t live without those sugary desserts there are some things that you can do to help keep away cavities. The best thing you can do for cavity prevention is to maintain good oral health habits. If you can do that then there shouldn’t be any problem with you satisfying your sweet tooth in moderation. Here’s what to do so you can still maintain good oral health if you eat too much sugar:

  • Brush your teeth. You should be brushing your teeth twice a day no matter how much sugar you eat, but if you are eating a lot of sugar, it’s important not to skip brushing. Brushing will help wipe away the bad bacteria and the sugar that will feed them.
  • Floss. Floss is just as important as brushing your teeth and yet a lot of people overlook flossing. This will help get rid of anything sweet that’s stuck in between your teeth or places that your brush can’t get.
  • Chew gum. Chewing sugar-free gum can help wipe away any sugar that sticks to your teeth. As you chew gum, your mouth produces extra saliva which washes away all the sugar. Just be sure it’s sugar-free so it doesn’t defeat the purpose.

Even though sugar isn’t directly linked to causing cavities, the dentists at All Star Dental would agree that consuming too much sugar isn’t good for your teeth or your health. If you have more questions about preventing cavities and how it affects your child’s oral health ask us at your next appointment.

If you need to schedule a children’s dentist appointment at any of our locations in Chicago, you can contact us on our website or call a location directly. We are specialist in pediatric dentistry and want to have your child have the best oral health that they can.

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