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The way you brush makes a big difference. Mechanical brushing removes very sticky dental plaque – a mixture of bacteria, their acids, sticky by-products and leftover food. It naturally forms on the teeth immediately after eating but does not become nasty and starts to cause tooth damage until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. The exact time that it takes is not known but is at least greater than 12 hours.
The bacteria consume sugar and, as a by-product, produce acids that dissolve the minerals in the teeth and form microscopic holes that we can not see. If the process is not stopped and they are not repaired, they can become large visible cavities.
Taking two minutes to brush your teeth is a good target for removing plaque. You must brush your teeth at night and another time a day. Brushing often prevents bacteria from developing to the point where the most acidic species can settle.
Use a fluoride toothpaste and telltale tablets
The plaque is hard to see because it is whitish, just like your teeth. The telltale tablets are available in supermarkets and pharmacies and make the plaque more visible, showing areas that you may have missed when brushing.
Spit, do not rinse
No more than four 'sugar hits'
These are all easy to consume, metabolize and produce acids from bacteria. However, it can be hard to tell which are the worst sugars for your teeth. For example, although fruits are normal, fruit juices have released sugar from the cells of the plant and high consumption can cause decay.
Even if it is not as important as the quantity, how many times do you eat sugar, it matters too. Simple carbohydrates such as sugar are easier to digest for bacteria than complex proteins or carbohydrates. The bacteria produce acids after metabolizing the sugar, resulting in demineralization.
Fortunately, thanks to the actions of fluoride toothpaste and the remineralizing effects of saliva, your teeth can recover from the early stages of these attacks. It's like having a scale – try to maintain balance between sugars on one side, fluoride toothpaste and cleaning the other.
As a general rule, your teeth can be exposed to four "sugar crises" – episodes of sugar consumption – daily without irreversible damage to the teeth. Why not try counting how many sweet strokes you have per day? This includes cookies, sweet cups of tea or coffee, and other snacks containing refined carbohydrates, such as crisps. A simple way to reduce your consumption would be to stop putting sugar in hot drinks and limit snacks.
Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, do not rinse, eat anything and drink nothing after brushing and do not have sugar more than four times a day. Easy!
Clement Seeballuck is a clinical lecturer in pediatric dentistry and Nicola Innes is a professor of pediatric dentistry at the University of Dundee.
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