A Sugar-Sweetened Smile

It’s Not  the Sugar That Causes Tooth Decay…

A pediatric ophthalmologist I know keeps big lollipops in a train container outside his examination room. As soon as the kids are done with their exams, he meets them at the train and hands them a ball of sugar on a stick. I swear he’s best friends with the dentist down the street. Maybe the dentist even supplies the candy!

It’s no big secret that eating sugary treats is not good for your teeth, but did you know that the sugar itself is not to blame for tooth decay?

Harmful Bacteria Looooooves Those Empty Calories

I’m sure your mom used to tell you that eating too much sugar would rot your teeth. I hate to tell you, but she was only partially right.

Your mouth is home to hundreds of bacteria. Most of them are completely harmless, some are harmful, and others are beneficial. The harmful bacteria love to feast on sugar. It gives them fuel which allows them to multiply and gain a strong foot-hold in your mouth.

The bacteria known to cause tooth decay particularly loves to feast on sugar and has its own superpower – it’s very sticky and is not easy to simply brush or floss away.

It is somewhat easier to brush the sugar away before the harmful bacteria get carried away, but let’s be honest, who runs right from the candy dish to the bathroom to brush away the bacterial feast?

Probiotic Mint Crowds Out Sugar-Loving Bacteria

While brushing immediately after eating is a good way to help curb tooth decay, it’s not the definitive answer. The best approach is to curb the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth. By adding good bacteria that crowd out the harmful bacteria to your mouth daily via a simple probiotic mint you can make that sugary treat less threatening to the health of your teeth.