We were often told in our childhood that eating candies would cause toothache and were offered to eat an apple instead. But the scientists from the King’s College London Dental Institute have found that apples aren’t any healthier than sweets when it comes to dental health. Few people know that the harmful effect of apples on teeth is approximately 4 times bigger than that of carbonated drinks.
1. Apples and Dental Health
Scientists have estimated that some kinds of apples contain 4 teaspoons of sugar which increases the level of acidity in the mouth. It is known that calcium neutralizes acid, it also strengthens bone tissue, including teeth. Therefore, the nutritionists recommend eating apples with a piece of cheese. Cleaning your teeth before eating will also help to protect teeth during meals.
As noted by David Bartlett, Head of the Department of Prosthodontics at King’s College, the problem may lie not only in what we eat, but how we do it. When a person eats an apple slowly, high levels of acid have enough time to harm the teeth. This conclusion was made by the experts after studying more than 1000 people aged 18-30 years. The experts were interested in the connection between the volunteers’ diet and the rate of problems with their tooth enamel and dentin. Finally, it turned out that the people, who loved apples, had 3.7 times higher risk of damaging dentin.
2. Drinks That Destroy Your Teeth
Wine, beer and fruit juices make the chance of dental diseases 4 times higher in case of regular consumption of these beverages. Doctors recommend a wise decision – drinking juice with a straw and choosing fresh fruit juices without sugar. Wine should be left for holidays, and it will be useful both for the teeth and the figure to “forget” about the existence of beer.
3. Cereal Bars and Oral Health
The reason why useful cereal bars have been included into the dentists’ black list is high content of sugar. Doctors recommend eating at least 5 times a day (including lunch and afternoon snacks). Such a diet will help to avoid snacking – because most often it is cereal bars that are noticed when there is no time for a substantial lunch.
4. Tooth Brushing after Meals and Dental Health
By the way, brushing teeth immediately after eating is not as useful as it is commonly believed. The tooth enamel, softened by acids, is very vulnerable, and tooth brushing will cause even bigger harm. If you want to brush your teeth after eating, you just need to wait for 30 minutes.
5. Does Chewing Gum Harm or Help Dental Health?
The dentists do not have any unanimous attitude towards gums: in the opinion of Dr. Junket from Boston University, some sugar-free gums (especially those with a fruity flavor) contain acid. This acid affects the tooth enamel, increasing the risk of its damaging.
However, the studies have shown that chewing a gum after a substantial meal and even after snacking will help reduce the risk of tooth decay by about 40%. A chewing gum is especially effective if it is chewed for 20 minutes after eating, when the acid is extremely aggressive.
Source of the image: Photl.
