Do you often joke with friends that your favorite food group is “sugar?” In fact, have you rarely met a dessert or sweetened drink that you didn’t like. If so, you might be concerned about your growing waistline. Yet calories aren’t the only potential danger from consuming too much sugar. In fact, your dental health can be greatly impacted by all your dietary choices, particularly if you are eating lots of sugar. So, if you want to protect your smile from cavities, gum disease, and other threats, it really is important to
combine regular preventive dental care with a healthy diet. That can begin by considering the role diet and your so-called “sweet tooth,” in particular, could be having on your oral health!
Your Waistline Isn’t the Only Thing Impacted by Sugar
Though most people think about weight gain or diabetes, when they think about the potential side effects of consuming too much sugar, another great threat sugar poses is to your dental health. That is because the bacteria in the mouth feed upon it, so the more you’re consuming daily, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with cavities and even gum disease.
Obvious sources of sugar, like desserts, aren’t the only issue, either. Many people unknowingly consume great deals of sugar either through sweetened beverages like sodas or coffees or teas filled with sugar, or even through packaged foods which are often high in added sugars.
There Are Ways to Protect Your Smile
The good news is there are several ways you can help to protect your smile. The most obvious is to limit how much sugar you’re eating. You should also be brushing and flossing daily, as this helps to remove harmful bacteria before it can harden into acidic plaque buildup. Drinking water throughout the day also helps to gently rinse teeth clean, and is particularly important after sweetened, caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, which can dry the mouth out.
Of course, seeing the dentist for regular checkups and cleanings is also essential to prolonged oral health, especially if you have been prone to needing tooth-fillings in the past.
Protect Your Smile with Preventive Care
Regular dental cleanings are essential to prolonged oral health. To schedule an appointment, call Creekside Family Dental Care in Columbia, TN, today at (931) 388–3384.
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