At Algester Dental, we like to look outside the square and look at more than just your teeth.

We know that what you put into your mouth directly affects your teeth. From fizzy drinks to muesli, your diet can influence the health of your teeth.

How does diet relate to dental decay?
Our diet plays a major role in dental decay. The plaque around our gumline and in the grooves of our teeth contain bacteria which use sugar in the foods we eat to grow. The waste-product these bacteria produce is acid, which dissolves and weakens our teeth, forming decay.

The good news is most of us can control what we eat and reduce our risk for decay.

What happens on the surface of our tooth after we eat something?
After a meal, the acids produced by bacteria result in a pH drop. This means that the mouth becomes more acidic reaching a point called the ‘critical pH’ - about 5.5. Critical pH describes the point at which the acid levels are high enough for the minerals of our teeth to begin dissolving. This lasts for about 20 minutes until the food debris is diluted and washed away by saliva. When the pH returns to normal, our saliva then slowly works to remineralise our teeth.

What happens if we constantly snack?
When we snack constantly, saliva does not have the chance to remineralise our teeth. This is shown in the next diagram.

What types of food put us at most risk of decay?
The snacks that contain processed sugars and carbohydrates that are easily fermented (used as an energy source by bacteria) put us at a higher risk of decay.

This includes almost every sweetened food or drink we buy at supermarkets. The higher the sugar content, the more available carbohydrate for bacteria to grow and the longer our teeth remain in critical pH.

Also foods that are sticky such as toffee or caramels can adhere to surfaces of teeth. They are difficult to flush away by saliva and provide a constant food source for bacteria.

Fizzy drinks also put you at high risk for decay. Not only are they heavily sweetened, they are highly carbonated making them acidic. This causes initial stripping of the minerals from our teeth, giving the bacteria an easier job to cause decay with their own acids. Compared to water which has a neutral pH of 7, Coca-cola with an acidic pH of 2.4 is over 10,000 times more acidic!!

Our dentists and hygienist have the training and experience to recognise how your diet might be affecting your teeth, and help you choose foods that are good for your teeth. We'll give you some tips and tricks about diet and eating.