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Holiday Survival Guide 2.0
Living Informed By Dr. John F. Miller DDS
What a spectacular early fall we’re having Crisp mornings warming up to sunny, warm afternoons. Lots to Smile about. Not to mention finally getting all that smoke under control. Great job firefighters! Hats off to you for your efforts. I’ve held strong that September is my favorite month in the Flathead and this September has only strengthened that position.
I’m in an interesting position trying to think up new “dental-related” content to share with the 406 Woman audience. Occasionally I have to read back over my last two-plus years of material to make sure I’m not being redundant. This being the 2015 October edition I naturally referred back to my first ever October edition from 2013. What I found there was an article I called the Holiday Survival Guide, which was full of great tips and information to help you in your oral hygiene efforts be it the holidays or any other time of the year. With that being said, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel this time, let’s revisit, tweak, and update the Holiday Survival Guide. I hope you enjoy the second read as much as I did. What more can I teach you about tooth decay? You’re going to say, “sugar rots your teeth. I already know that.” I’m going to get down to the simple science behind the creation of a tooth cavity so that my audience can make a more informed approach to the holidays with respect to their oral health. I’ll respond to your earlier comment and tell you, “sugar does not cause tooth decay any more than gasoline alone gets you to point B.” In other words, sugar needs a motor to harness its high-energy chemical bonds. Our mouths are filled with billions of little motors in the form of bacteria. Some of these bacteria are cariogenic (acid-producing) and responsible for tooth decay. Mainly Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli. They con-
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ence demineralization from the first bite until 30 minutes following the last bite. This should get the wheels in your head turning, you’ve been informed; think Right now, as you read, your teeth are under about your morning latte that you sip over the course of 2 hours. This equates to 2.5 hours of demineralizaattack. Bacteria are colonizing and creat- tion. Even worse, sustained periods of high acidity will ing a biofilm (plaque) on your tooth surface. eliminate healthy bacteria resulting in a higher concenCariogenic bacteria thrive in an environ- tration of cariogenic bacteria, lower pH levels, and more rampant decay. ment devoid of oxygen. The thicker the layer of plaque, the less oxygen available at the Halloween is upon us. Our children gain access to a bag tooth surface, the more potent the bacteria, of candy that they will devour over the space of a few days. It is not only possible, but probable that they will the more acid being produced, the greater have a sustained oral pH of 5.0 or less for days on end. the rate of tooth decay. Irreversible damage is inevitable. Thanksgiving is next, offering up bottomless supplies of pies, sweet potatoes, Now that we have established that Acid is the direct cranberry sauces, and cider that segue seamlessly into cause of tooth decay, let’s discuss the oral pH cycle. The December’s caramels, fudge, cookies, and eggnog (curse pH scale is a logarithmic measure of acidity. To keep you eggnog you're so irresistible). It doesn’t end until things brief, the lower the pH value, the more acidic midnight on New Year’s. something is. Our mouths have a physiologic resting pH of approximately 7.0, or neutral. After we eat food My purpose is not to be a party pooper, but rather to incontaining fermentable carbohydrates, the pH levels form and let the reader react accordingly. The day after within plaque drops below 5.0 rapidly as bacteria con- Halloween I’m going to exercise my right as a father to vert the available sugar into acid. Demineralization (de- confiscate any and all Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and encay) of dental enamel occurs at a pH of 5.5 or less while joy them...my way. During Thanksgiving I fully intend remineralization (repair) occurs at pH levels above 5.5. on consuming my weight in Pumpkin Pie, and let’s not get started on Eggnog. I take it personally every year as Saliva acts to neutralize the mouth and restore healthy they remove it from the shelf, as if they are staging an pH levels, but this typically takes about 30 minutes. So eggnog intervention. “Don’t judge me,” I think, “I’m in every time you eat, drink, snack, etc. your teeth experi- complete control.” sume the available sugar and create lactic acid as a byproduct; this is the direct cause of tooth decay: ACID!