Tag Archives: acidic

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Protect Your Teeth Part 2

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Q: Wait a minute, I thought sugar is bad for my teeth? Why did you talk about pH and acidity?
A: Sugar is still bad for your teeth, but not just because it is sugar. Sugar is bad for your teeth because you are feeding the harmful bacteria (Streptococcus mutans or S. mutans for short) that live in all those little grooves and fissures on your teeth. To show how thankful they are, the harmful bacteria use the sugar to make … acid!
Lesson: So it’s much simpler to get to the root of the problem and just recommend eating less sugar.

Q: What other foods make my mouth more acidic?
A: Carbonated drinks (soda, diet soda); energy drinks; fruits and fruit juices (lemons have pH of 2!); coffee (careful how much sugar you add to these!); alcoholic drinks; starches (potato chips).
Don’t panic! I am human too and enjoy my share of these foods, but the lesson is this: indulge less often.

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Protect Your Teeth Part 1

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When it comes down to it, the main thing you want to try to control is the pH in your mouth. You may or may not remember much from chemistry class, but acidic substances have a pH less than 7 and basic (or alkaline) substances have a pH greater than 7. Water has a pH very close to 7, or neutral.

Two things to remember:
1. Acid weakens or de-mineralizes enamel.
2. Takes almost an hour for your mouth to return to normal pH.

Therefore, it would be better for your teeth if you drink three cans of soda in a short amount of time instead of sipping on one can over several hours. Frequency is more important than quantity.