If You Snack and Sip All Day, You Risk Decay!

Do you sip on sugar sweetened drinks throughout your day?  Do you snack on foods with added sugar throughout your day?  If this is you, beware!  These habits can lead to tooth decay.

 Refined sugar is added to many foods and drinks.  The worst liquid offenders are soda, sports drinks, sweet ice tea, and fruit juice.  The problem is when you sip on these types of drinks throughout your day, your teeth are constantly bathed in refined sugar.  Over time, the sugar in these drinks reacts with the plaque bacteria that is always present in your mouth.  The by-product of this reaction is an acid that is strong enough to eat through your tooth enamel.  Within 20 minutes after you eat or drink something with refined sugar, the acid production process has begun.  Soda also contains phosphoric acid.  If you frequently drink soda (even diet soda), the phosphoric acid can cause erosion to your tooth enamel; this makes your tooth enamel weaker and increases your chances of developing tooth decay. 

One can of regular Coke has over 9 teaspoons of sugar. A 12-oz. can of Mountain Dew contains 11 teaspoons of sugar. A person who drinks two cans per day consumes more than 1.5 pounds of sugar per week from Mountain Dew alone. www.floridahealth.gov/chdcollier/Documents/.../sipalldaypresentation.pdf

Eating foods high in refined sugar can also lead to tooth decay.  If you eat sugary foods during the day, you can help minimize the harmful effects of the sugar on your teeth by rinsing your mouth with water, or brushing your teeth after you eat the sweet treat. 

It is important for your dental health to avoid drinking beverages throughout your day that are high in refined sugar and acidic and avoid eating frequent sugary snacks. The best defense against sugar and acids is thorough brushing and just as important....cleaning between your teeth.  Often, tooth decay begins in between teeth where your toothbrush cannot reach.  If you don't regularly floss, the acid produced by the combination of bacteria and sugar sticks between your teeth and causes cavities to form.

Fluoride is also very beneficial in combating the effects of acid on your teeth.  Fluoride actually promotes re-mineralization of your tooth enamel making it more resistant to the destructive acid produced by sugar or consumed in soda.  Fluoride is in most toothpaste, you can even buy mouth rinse with fluoride, or your dentist can prescribe a prescription strength fluoride toothpaste.   

Mouth of a diet soda abuser

                                                                (photo courtesy of The Academy of Dentistry)

Australian Dental Association

Salivary Testing to Treat Gum Disease

       Have you been told that you have areas in your mouth with "deep pockets"?  Have you had a "deep cleaning" but despite your efforts at good oral hygiene your gums still bleed regularly?  Now there is an easy way to find out exactly which bacteria are causing your gum problems.  A company called Oral DNA Labs offers salivary testing that can identify which bacteria are triggering your periodontal (gum) disease.
     Periodontal (gum) disease is a fairly common condition.  It begins as gingivitis which is gum inflammation due to a build up of plaque on the teeth.  Dental plaque is bacteria, food particles and mucus.  Over time this plaque, if not removed, can harden on the teeth, thus becoming tartar.  The bacteria in the plaque and tartar cause the gums to be inflamed and the bleed easily.  The inflammation can spread to the ligaments and bone that hold the teeth in place.  Once this occurs, the condition is called periodontitis.  Untreated periodontitis can lead to tooth loss.
     Oral DNA Labs offers a saliva test that can identify exactly which bacteria are triggering the periodontal disease.  The test is very simple to do and can be done in our office in just a few minutes.  The patient just swishes a special saline solution in their mouth for 30 seconds then expectorates into a special vial which gets securely sealed and sent directly to Oral DNA Labs for analysis.  We then receive a detailed report identifying the types of destructive bacteria that were present in the sample along with recommended treatment protocols.
     Watch this short video from the TV show The Doctors that discusses Oral DNA testing
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/videolib/init/7581
You can also learn more by visiting the Oral DNA Labs websitehttp://www.oraldna.com/

New Oral Probiotic

          The term "Probiotic" is very common in many products available today.  Probiotics are microorganisms that may have health benefits when consumed.  They can be added to food, like yogurt, or taken alone in a capsule form.  At Clearwater Dental Associates we are excited to offer a new Oral Probiotic called EvoraPro.  EvoraPro oral probiotic works by outnumbering the undesirable bacteria in the mouth.  When the bad bacteria are outnumbered, the beneficial bacteria can flourish and re-establish a correct bacterial balance which leads to healthier teeth and gums.
      Researcher, Dr. Jeffrey D. Hillman collected bacteria samples from people with healthy teeth.
He isolated three particular bacteria that were found in every "healthy mouth" sample.  The bacteria he grouped together worked to outnumber destructive bacteria strains found in the mouth.
     The bacteria Dr. Hillman grouped together are called ProBiora3 and are found in EvoraPro. This is the only probiotic with original bacterial strains cultivated from people with healthy mouths. There are no food products that contain these bacteria strains.  By crowding out the destructive bacteria with beneficial bacteria, the plaque bacteria grow much much slower above and below the gums. Each EvoraPro tablet contains the ProBiora3 healthy bacteria strains. The patient dissolves one EvoraPro mint in the mouth per day.

How does EvoraPro fit into patients’ oral
care routine?

EvoraPro is best started when a patient has just completed a
professional prophylaxis.

• A professional prophylaxis removes both beneficial and undesirable bacteria
• Allowed to dissolve on the tongue after the patient’s oral hygiene routine, EvoraPro begins to repopulate the mouth with a healthy balance of essential probiotic bacteria
• Because EvoraPro only contains bacteria naturally found in the oral cavity, it is ideal for most patients

The healthy bacteria in EvoraPro also help eliminate the bacteria that can cause bad breath. The good bacteria found in EvoraPro also produce a low dose of hydrogen peroxide which can whiten and brighten your teeth as well.