Solutions From Our Dental Office for Avoiding Sugar This Halloween and Throughout the Year

In our local dental office, we speak with patients all of the time about the importance of avoiding sugar. Eating sugary foods or drinks is not good for you in any quantity.  The more sugar that you intake, the higher your risk becomes of getting cavities.  When sugar sits on your teeth, it can create an acid that starts to attack them.  This can weaken your teeth and lead to cavities.  The problem only worsens this time of the year with the arrival of Halloween and the official holiday season.  With so many treats to choose from it can be difficult to avoid sugar.

The key is to remember that everything you eat and drink plays a direct role in your overall health and how you feel.  If you eat a lot of sugar, you may start to crash and feel sluggish in addition to putting your teeth at risk.  If, however, you eat a healthy and balanced diet, you will have sustained energy, and your teeth will be healthier.

In our dental office, we have come up with several tips you can try for avoiding sugar and to start being healthier overall.  Here is what you can try at home:

• Drink lots of water.  If you stay hydrated, you will feel fuller and be less tempted to overeat or reach for a candy bar.  This is a good weight loss tip but also good for your teeth.  Your body needs to produce saliva in order for your teeth and gums to stay healthy.  If you drink plenty of water, it will.  Otherwise, you can get dry mouth and your risk of cavities and bad breath will increase. 
• Eat a balanced meal.  When you eat a meal that contains complex carbs, lean protein and veggies, you will have sustained energy throughout the day.  By feeling energized, you can accomplish more and won’t feel like you are having an afternoon crash.  This will prevent the urge to reach for quick energy in the form of a candy bar.  Eating meals with healthy ingredients is also good for remineralizing and strengthening your teeth so eat them every day. 
• Reward yourself.  If you are tempted to pig out on Halloween candy or eat an entire pie on Thanksgiving, be honest with yourself.  It is okay if sweets are your temptation, but make sure that you can avoid overindulging by offering yourself a reward.  For example, if you skip trick-or-treating and avoid sweets for a month, buy yourself a new purse or game you have been wanting.  Incentivize yourself to make healthy choices. 
• Avoid the situation.  Just because you were invited to a holiday party, doesn’t mean that you have to go.  Spend time one on one with the host instead.  This way you can see your friend but don’t have to be surrounded by sugary treats in order to do so.

As a general dentist, we recommend that you take these simple steps to avoid sugar on Halloween and throughout the year.  Keeping sugar off of your teeth is one more way to fight cavities and gum disease. 

Suggestions from Your Local Dentist for Dealing Sensitive Teeth

If you have sensitive teeth, visit our dentist office.  We will examine you to determine if there are any cavities or gum disease that could be creating the issue.  If you have a cavity, your teeth will be sensitive overall, and the only way to deal with it is to remove the infection.  Simultaneously, if you have gum disease, your gums need to be thoroughly cleaned.  This involves removing bacteria from underneath the gums as well.  If the gum disease is really bad, you may need a gum graft procedure in order to cover up the exposed area of the tooth and roots.  By removing any infection, your teeth should start to feel better. 

If, however, there is no infection – your tooth sensitivity is likely caused by the loss of enamel.  Your teeth are made of dentin that is covered with a layer of enamel and a layer of cementum underneath the gums.  These materials protect the dentin and your tooth’s roots.  They are extremely important because the dentin is full of holes that contain nerve endings and transmit sensations to your brain. Once the dentin is exposed, your teeth will naturally start to hurt. 

The process of losing your enamel is called demineralization and very common as you age.  More seniors complain of sensitive teeth than twenty-year-olds.  You can help prevent this process by using toothpaste that contains fluoride on a daily basis.  You can also strengthen your teeth by changing your diet.  Eating nuts, dairy, green leafy vegetables, and crunchy fruits and veggies will all help your teeth become stronger and can even remineralize teeth that have started to lose their enamel.  As a local dentist, we can also help by cleaning your teeth twice a year to remove bacteria and plaque that can attack the tooth. 

Treatment Options
There are ways you can help your teeth to feel better at home.  Start by using desensitizing toothpaste. This blocks the transmission of pain signals from reaching the root of your tooth.  After a few uses, your teeth will start to feel better.  You can also rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash in order to kill bacteria and any lingering germs which could be irritating your teeth and gums. 

By visiting our dentist office, you can request a fluoride treatment which will help to remineralize your teeth by placing a mineral directly onto them, important for covering up the exposed dentin.  We can also provide a bonding treatment so that a tooth colored material is bonded to the surface of your tooth in order to prevent the dentin from being exposed. If a tooth is particularly sensitive, we can apply a dental crown instead.  A crown completely surrounds the tooth so that nothing can touch it.  When you bite down, eat, or speak nothing will touch the tooth but instead the crown is exposed.  This helps to eliminate pain that is caused from a tooth that is particularly sensitive. 

If you have sensitive teeth, schedule an appointment with our dentist office so that we can examine your teeth and make specific treatment recommendations.