How does sugar attack your teeth? Scientific steps that explain!

YNP:

Eating sweets and sugary drinks during the holidays is growing in popularity, but this opens the door for oral bacteria to form a harmful coating on the teeth.

Although many people are aware that too much sugar can cause tooth decay, most are unaware of how bacteria use these sugars to form a sticky layer called plaque on the teeth immediately after the first sweet bite.

Within seconds of consuming sugar, oral bacteria begin to consume it to grow and reproduce, and as it is converted into energy, they produce large amounts of acids. After just a minute or two, the acidity in your mouth reaches levels that can dissolve tooth enamel, the mineral layer that covers their surface.

Fortunately, saliva balances these acids and removes excess sugars. There are also beneficial bacteria that compete with cavity-causing bacteria for resources and space, helping to rebalance the acidity of the mouth.

But constant excessive consumption of sweets and sugary drinks gives harmful bacteria a chance to overcome the mouth’s natural defenses, increasing the risk of tooth decay.

Cavity-causing bacteria use sugar to form a sticky biofilm that adheres to teeth, forming a fortress that is difficult to break apart except by brushing or a visit to the dentist. This membrane prevents saliva from neutralizing acids, allowing harmful bacteria to survive and multiply, while beneficial bacteria decline.

In this environment, the acidity level of the mouth remains high and dental minerals continue to be lost, until tooth decay becomes visible or painful.

Steps to protect your teeth

Reduce the amount of sugar and consume it during meals, to help saliva production, eliminate sugars and neutralize acids.

Avoid sweets and sugary drinks throughout the day, especially refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Brush your teeth regularly, preferably after every meal, and floss daily to reach areas you can’t reach with the brush.

The report was prepared by Jose Lemos, professor of oral biology, and Jacqueline Abranches, associate professor of oral biology at the University of Florida.