Proper brushing, flossing, and regular visits to your dentist are necessary tasks to protect the look and health of your smile. However, you may develop conditions that affect your mouth, teeth, and gums, even when taking good care of your oral health. You may think juice is a smart, healthy beverage, since it contains different fruits and vegetables, but it can actually do enormous damage to your smile. Restoring your smile back to a healthy, attractive state is possible, but proper understanding of how this beverage affects your oral health is key. With this guide and the help of your dentist, you will get all the juicy details regarding the dental dangers of juice.
Enamel Erosion
Fruit juices contain acids, which can eat through your tooth enamel over time. This erosion is the start of a great deal of dental issues that can cause discomfort while decreasing the overall look of your smile.
To determine which juice contains the highest content of acid, pay attention to pH levels. The lower the pH level, the higher the acidic content. Lemon has a low pH level, so it is extremely acidic, which means that it is best to avoid drinking lemon juice. Apple juice has less acid compared to other fruit juices, but excessive consumption can still lead to enamel erosion.
While shocking for most people to learn, drinking vegetable juice can also erode your enamel. Tomato juice contains a large amount of acids, so consuming this juice increases your risk of enamel damage.
If you are suffering from minor erosion, your dentist may suggest a fluoride treatment to strengthen and restore tooth enamel. Make sure to use a toothpaste and mouthwash that contains fluoride, as well.
If you are experiencing severe erosion of your tooth enamel, consider dental bonding. During this procedure, your dentist will apply a dental-grade filler over affected teeth. This bonding agent will serve as a enamel replacement, protecting your underlying teeth.
Cavities and Tooth Decay
Your tooth enamel acts as a protective coating, decreasing the risk of contact between the tooth's underlying nerves and food or bacteria. When your enamel is worn down, there is no protective barrier between the pulp and nerves of your tooth and food or bacteria. The lack of a protective enamel coating increases your risk of developing cavities and tooth decay.
Also, an average 8-ounce glass of apple juice contains 120 calories, which are 100 percent from sugar. Sugar that builds up on your teeth and gums can lead to plaque, which is difficult to remove. Over time, plaque can cause you to develop cavities and decay, and this can eventually spread over your gums and turn into a more serious case of periodontal disease.
Treating cavities will require filling the decaying tooth with an amalgam composite or resin filler. Crowns may be necessary to restore a severely decayed tooth. Crowns not only restore shape, but they also improve the function and strength of your tooth.
Tooth Stains
Drinking juice can also stain your teeth. However, certain juices can stain your teeth in different ways.
Dark juices, such as grape and cranberry, contain darker pigments that can discolor the surface enamel on your teeth. Since the acidic nature of juice erodes the enamel, all juice types can permeate and stain the remaining enamel and underlying tooth.
An LED whitening treatment is conducted in your dentist's office using a specialized light and bleaching gel. After applying the gel and directing the light to your teeth, the bleaching agents are activated. LED whitening treatments are efficient, effective ways to remove stains from your teeth.
Fruit and vegetable juice may seem like healthy options to drink through the day, but they can affect your smile's look and underlying oral health. This guide will help you understand the dangers of drinking juice and the best options to restore your smile back to an appealing, healthy state. For more about this topic, contact a cosmetic dentist in your area.
