In the course of providing dental care to our Perth patients, we like to get an idea of their dietary habits so we know what their risks are for developing tooth decay. A recent study in the US has now given us yet another reason to tell our patients to stay away from sugary drinks and fruit juices.
According to a recent study that was published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry, adults who present the worst cases of dental erosion are those who drink soft drinks and/or fruit juice. The study was done on 4,000 patients. 79% of those patients displayed symptoms indicating dental erosion. 64% of the patients displayed mild tooth wear. 5% displayed severe tooth wear while 10% displayed moderate tooth wear.
The numbers indicated that those who drank the most sugary beverages and fruit juices had the most wear and erosion, while those who drank milk instead had the lowest levels of wear and erosion. Men were twice as likely to present erosion as women. Tooth wear tended to increase with age, which makes sense.
Milk and water are the best beverages to drink when it comes to dental health because neither has sugar or acid content. In addition, water helps stimulate saliva production while milk helps provide calcium, which is stored in the teeth and bones to make them stronger.
Most dental erosion is because of exposure to acid, which wears the enamel. Any beverage with a pH lower than 5.5 can cause erosion of the enamel.
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If you want to take control of your dental health, call eDental Perth today. We offer a full range of services, from emergency dentistry through preventative dentistry, all in the comfort of our Perth office. Our caring, professional staff are experts at making you feel comfortable. We treat you with the same respect we give to our families.
To learn more or for an appointment, call us today: (08) 9361 1728.