snacking and dental erosion

As we all know, our eating habits and food choices can lead to harmful effects on our pearly whites and cause major oral problems in the future. What you may not realise is snacking or ‘grazing’ on certain foods can surprisingly be one of the most damaging habits of all. Mr Raul Costa, one of the UK's leading restorative dentists in London, explains more.

What is dental erosion?

Dental erosion is the chemical dissolution of tooth substance and one of the many causes of tooth sensitivity and discolouration. It occurs mainly due to excessive acid exposure from certain foods, drinks and bodily fluids. Enamel is the hard, outer layer of your teeth and their first line of defence against physical and chemical damage. Even though enamel is an extremely tough substance, it can be prone to wear and tear which is known as enamel erosion. One it has eroded, enamel cannot be regrown so this condition is irreversible but easily preventable.

What are the causes of dental erosion?

From oranges to coffee, high levels of acid in our everyday food and drinks can be very harmful to our teeth, but snacking and sipping on certain drinks are the real culprits when it comes to enamel erosion, rather than the actual food we eat. Let’s take a look:

Every time we eat, the acidic level in our mouth increases, which promotes demineralisation and over time damages our teeth by eroding the enamel and dentine. Thankfully, our saliva is the body’s natural way of neutralising this acid and protecting our teeth, however, if we are constantly exposing our teeth to fizzy drinks and snacks all day long, it leaves our teeth exposed to acid for longer. The longer your teeth are exposed to an acidic environment, the greater the chances of both tooth erosion and oral problems to occur in the future.

Now, let’s take a glance at some of the food and drink that can cause this:

• Fizzy and sugary drinks: in addition to sugar, they typically contain citric acid and phosphoric acid. Sipping these drinks all day long leads to frequent exposure to acid which erodes the teeth.
• Fruit juices: many fruit juices are very high in sugar and acid; drinking too much, too frequently can be harmful to your teeth.
• Sugary foods:  these can include syrups in hot drinks, sweets, ice-creams, etc.
• Coffee: as with any drink that isn’t water, coffee can cause bacteria to grow which leads to tooth and enamel erosion.
• Sparkling water: any drink that is carbonated has a relatively high acidic level. Sparkling water isn’t as bad as fizzy drinks. It won’t harm your teeth if you drink it now and then but if you drink it a lot then it shows effects.
• Vinegar or lemon juice: the acidic levels in these can kill bacteria in the throat, which is why many health-conscious people choose to gargle it daily, or especially when they aren’t feeling well. But the high levels of acid in these are enough to weaken the enamel on your teeth and leave your teeth vulnerable to tooth decay and cavities.

It’s important to note that teeth are in a constant cycle between softening and hardening so the problem is when the balance is broken or changed by frequent eating or drinking. You should allow the teeth to naturally harden in an environment that isn’t acidic. Teeth only go through the hardening phase when we are not eating, so snacking all day does not allow the teeth to harden naturally.

Damage to enamel can also be caused by other problems apart from food. Acid reflux, having a dry mouth, bulimia, alcoholism, and brushing your teeth too hard all contribute to dental erosion.

Why should we be worried about this?

One of the main problems is that we are living longer and we need to maintain our natural teeth for as long as we can. Treatment for enamel erosion can be complex and expensive, so you want to avoid it as much as possible.

It’s true that the nutrition in fruit is essential to our diet and provides a great variety of minerals and vitamins, especially vitamin C. However, in the last decade, consuming only seasonal fruit has stopped, thanks to globalisation, because of our ability to import fruit from all over the world. We now have access to every type of fruit, such as oranges and apples, all year round. This is a problem, because as humans our teeth have not evolved enough to adapt to this frequency of fruit consumption. Eating the same citric fruits throughout the whole year puts pressure on our teeth and exposes much more frequently.

How do patients identify dental erosion?

Most patients complain that their teeth are starting to look yellow, especially at the margins (cervical area), or they are even beginning to look see-through. Sometimes, people with tooth erosion find their teeth are sensitive to hot, cold or sweet food.

Many patients with dental erosion don’t respond well to professional whitening either, meaning they don’t see any difference or they experience a lot of tooth sensitivity when trying to whiten them.

How is dental erosion treated?

The first thing a dentist will try to do is to find the source and to stop it. Then, if there is only minor damage to the enamel they will look at various treatment options. Sometimes, we can use composite fillings or a technique called tooth bonding, however, these techniques have limited longevity and depend on the severity of the erosion. Veneers are also an option, but again, if the enamel is completely gone then the bonding strength is compromised and therefore they might not last that long.

How can you prevent dental erosion?

Cutting down on acidic food and drinks is the best way to avoid dental erosion. If you do have something that is high in acid, make sure it is not a habit and have it at mealtimes rather than snacking on it throughout the day. Going regularly to the dentist may be crucial to identify early stages of erosion.

Do not brush your teeth immediately after you have eaten! This is a common mistake people make; thinking they are keeping their teeth clean after eating. Your mouth becomes an acidic environment after a meal, so if you brush your teeth when the mouth is acidic, you will wear your teeth down. It’s the same with coffee; but if you don’t like the taste after, try rinsing your mouth out with water or chewing on sugar-free chewing gum which will keep your teeth fresh and increase salivation. Saliva is a big buffer of the acid - it is how you keep your mouth intact!

Also, choose a toothpaste that is not too abrasive and be especially careful with whitening toothpaste as the ingredients can contribute to erosion. It’s common for people who have erosion to have yellow teeth (as the dentine underneath is exposed) and people have a habit of brushing them more because they appear yellow, but if you brush too much, it can damage the enamel. In addition, be aware of the type of toothbrush and to choose one that is soft. I always recommend an electric toothbrush because it reduces the possibility of brushing too much and too hard.

If you are worried about the health of your teeth, visiting Mr Raul Costa’s profile and book an appointment to see him.