Ice cream, iced tea, lemonade, fruit smoothies—all of these treats and more help make summer an enjoyable experience for most people. Unfortunately, they can also damage your teeth and undo all of the hard work you put into your dental hygiene routine when consumed carelessly. With a little advice from your dedicated Astoria dentist, you can enjoy all of your summer favorites while still protecting your smile from their destructive dental influences.
A Little Foresight
The first step to protecting your teeth is understanding the dangers they face. Iced tea, lemonade, most ice creams, sodas, and even fruit juices and smoothies contain excessive amounts of sugar and acid. While sugar isn’t directly dangerous to your teeth, it feeds certain oral bacteria that convert it into more acid, which erodes your tooth’s protective layer of enamel and saps your teeth of essential minerals. Under normal circumstances, organic acid dissipates after about 20-30 minutes, and once it’s gone, your teeth can replenish their mineral supply, allowing weak, mineral-based tooth enamel to regain strength. Repetitive exposure, however, can eventually wear down your enamel, rendering it useless against the bacteria that cause tooth decay and cavities. By limiting the frequency with which you consume these treats and sticking to a strict dental hygiene routine, you can help prevent over-exposure to acid and the irreparable destruction of your tooth enamel.
Don’t Forget the Number-One Thirst Quencher
Reaching for a cold, tasty, sugar-and-acid-packed drink over a bottle of water can be tempting when you’re thirsty. Nevertheless, your body’s composition is about 50-60% water, and consuming enough of it is vital for a number of reasons. As far as your smile is concerned, water helps neutralize acid while washing it out of your mouth, along with acid-producing oral bacteria and the food debris that feeds them. Make sure clean water is always accessible, and drink a glass (or swish some around your mouth) after eating or drinking to reduce your chances of acid erosion. Water also helps you maintain an adequate supply of saliva, which works to naturally keep your mouth clean and acid-free when you’re not drinking water.
Beat the Heat & Threats to Your Teeth with Help from Your Astoria Dentist
To learn more about protecting your teeth from your favorite summer treats, schedule a dental consultation with your Astoria dentist by calling our office today at (718) 728-8320. Located in the 11106 area, we proudly serve patients from Astoria, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the surrounding communities.
