AppointmentsAt Orangeburg Dental Associates in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Dr. Samuel Lambrecht and Dr. Daniel West are pleased to help you boost your healthy smile. While we realize that you work hard every day to achieve and maintain your healthy smile, there are some simple tips you can implement that will boost your efforts. Watch what happens when you incorporate these into your routine:
Saliva Production
The first line of defense in your mouth is your saliva, as it acts like a disinfecting cavity fighter. Plaque–the bacteria that sticks to the teeth and releases acid that wears down tooth enamel–is responsible for causing tooth decay. Saliva helps rinse away bacteria and neutralizes the acid. If you have dry mouth, whether from illness, medication, or unhealthy habits, you need to increase your saliva for a healthy smile. To help stimulate sufficient saliva production, drink plenty of water, chew sugar-free gum or mints, and snack on crisp vegetables. Our dentist may also prescribe artificial saliva if necessary.
Healthier Eating Strategy
Eating sugar or having a soda with a meal is one thing, but snacking or drinking sugary items all day is destructive. The more often you consume sugar (feeding the bacteria in plaque) the more acids coat your tooth enamel for longer periods. It is better to have a slice of cheesecake with a meal rather than snack on chips or chocolate throughout the day.
Why is this? It takes about 20 minutes to clear sugar from your mouth before it is neutralized. During that 20-minute time period, the bacteria convert the sugar to acid where they are busy attacking your teeth and demineralizing the enamel. Snacking all day keeps this process going on long enough to result in tooth decay, over time. As teeth continue to soften the end result can be root canals and extracted teeth. This is why you want to brush and floss the bacteria away daily.
Don’t forget professional dental cleanings as powerful allies to protecting your oral health. Please call our team at 803-534-1020 if it’s getting to be time for your next checkup and cleaning. Dr. Samuel Lambrecht and Dr. Daniel West at Orangeburg Dental Associates are happy to help our patients in Orangeburg, South Carolina, maintain beautiful, healthy smiles!