Common food and drink items that can cause cavities and how to manage them.

It is pretty common to think about sugary foods and drinks when considering things that can make you cavity prone. Most people envision sugary sodas, candy, sweets, and sticky things when they think of foods that cause cavities. However, we find that most people aren’t thinking of the OTHER foods and drinks we consume that wreak havoc on their teeth. Have you ever considered sparkling water, lemon water, bread, or goldfish as things that are likely to lead to cavities? You better believe that all of those and more are major culprits when it comes to cavities.

In order for a cavity to form, we need a few things: bacteria to cause the damage, food for the bacteria to eat, time for the bacteria to act, and acidity to leech minerals out of the tooth/soften the tooth. When we discuss cavities with patients, we start the conversation with acidity, because if the teeth aren’t exposed to acid, bacteria can’t cause cavities!

Acidity in the mouth comes from several sources: from the stomach as reflux or silent reflux, from dryness experienced by those who snore / open mouth breathe / have less saliva, and from the diet. When we think about acids in the diet, most things we eat/drink are acidic because preservatives are acidic. There are also sugars embedded in most food items either directly as sugar or indirectly as carbs that break down into sugar. Sugars in food items turn into acid when bacteria digest them. So all that is to say, we are surrounded by foods that are acidic and likely to cause cavities! pH is a value that measure acidity of things, with 7 being neutral, like water, and lower than 7 represents acidic items. Below the pH value of 5.5, teeth start to loose minerals (dissolve), which is when bacteria cause cavities. Let’s look at some rough numbers:

pH values

Coke: 2.6

Juice: 2-4

Kombucha: 3

Lemon Water: 3

Gatorade: 3.3

Sparkling Water: 4.5

Coffee: 5.0

Milk: 6.4

So most drinks are acidic! Tea, coffee, milk, juice, V8 juice, juice cocktail, energy drinks, sports drinks, San Pellegrino, Dasani water, Capri Sun, soda, beer, wine, Red Bull, Propel, Vitamin Water, Celcius, Arizona Tea, Minute Maid, Kool-Aid, etc. They are all acidic!

The same is true of most foods- if they are packaged and prepared food items, they are likely acidic. Think things like chips, cookies, Goldfish, hamburgers, hotdogs, rolls, gummy snacks, granola bars, puffs, yogurt, condiments, pickles, and more!

So your teeth are exposed to acidity throughout your entire day if you sip or snack, and then throughout the night if you snore, open mouth breathe, have a dry mouth, or are on CPAP. How can we visualize this process?

When we look at this graph, we can see the red danger zone is below a pH of 5.5:

When we look at this graph, we see someone who is sipping on coffee throughout their day, which is keeping their mouth in the red, cavity forming zone most of the day. The saliva doesn’t have time to neutralize all of the acidic food/drink before the next sip.

When we look at this graph, we see someone who eats at several times in the day, and the acidity drops into the red zone, then the saliva neutralizes it to bring it back into the safety / non-cavity zone.

So what does all of this mean for you? When choosing non-cavity forming foods, search for whole and fresh foods. Fresh, nuts, veggies, and fruits have a healthy balance of fiber to natural sugar and natural acids to help your teeth stay healthy. Check out the Weston-Price foundation recommendations on healthy meal plan for families. Stick to flat water when possible and try to avoid sipping or snacking throughout the day. If you have to have a really acidic food or drink, try to limit the time frame, give yourself 15 minutes or so, then rinse with plain water to help neutralize all of the acid. Try using mineralizing toothpastes and products that have added Calcium and Phosphate to add back anything your teeth are losing. Stay hydrated, and keep your sinuses clear to avoid breathing through your mouth.

We recommend that most of our patients use the following healthy hygiene products:

Carifree Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste

Sonicare toothbrush

Sonicare water flosser

Cocofloss or other similar non-waxed floss

Xlear nasal spray

Neilmed sinus flush

Somnifix Mouthtape

Stellalife Vegacare Mouthwash

Probiora oral probiotics

We’ve done the research so you don’t have to!

Call today to learn ore or set up a visit! (540) 904-4020