Sugar is not only food for the soul
– it is also food for the bacteria in the mouth that transform the
monosaccharides that make up sugar into acids that have an eroding effect on
the topmost layer of the tooth called the enamel.
The process is complex and
cyclical. Whenever we consume sugars, not only in the form of sweets and sugary
beverages, but with any food that contains sugar, the bacteria that live in our
mouth start transforming the sugar residues left in our mouths after swallowing
the food or the drink into acids. The enamel of the teeth is composed mostly of
minerals that break down when they come into contact with acids.
The acids produced by the oral
bacteria attack the enamel, making it weaker, but their action lasts only for
about 20 minutes – after that, the saliva produced by the salivary glands in
the mouth rinses the acid away and the body starts replenishing the enamel’s
mineral stocks. However, if the cycle is triggered too frequently and the body
does not have the time necessary for switching on its protective mechanisms,
the enamels becomes increasingly vulnerable to acid attacks and starts
developing cavities where it is weakened, thus the need for dentists with sedation dentistry Lakewood offices.
