It’s back to school time, and that has many people scrambling to find snacks that will suit their children. Snacking isn’t something that occurs only in lunchrooms or classrooms; a high percentage of the adult population would describe themselves as “snackers,” too. Grabbing a small bite provides a mood boost, and it might stave off hunger, but it can also degrade oral health if you’re not careful. Here, we point out a few ways that snacking might be harmful to your teeth.

Sugar Residue

Depending on what you instinctively reach for when the urge to snack strikes, it is possible that your teeth could be at risk of decay. Sugary foods and drinks like cookies with your coffee or that afternoon soda can leave sugar residue on your teeth. Here, it will feed the multitude of bacteria that live in your mouth. Sugar residue is a precursor to plaque, an invisible biofilm that harbors bacteria and increases the acidity in the mouth. The sugar itself is not acidic, but it invites bacteria to deposit acids on enamel that weaken the surface and cause cavities.

Tooth Erosion

Acidity doesn’t just cause cavities. New research suggests that overwhelming acidity in the mouth can wash over entire tooth surfaces and sit on enamel for prolonged periods. This could be in the form of sugar residue but also may be straight acid. For example, fresh citrus fruits and pickles contain their own natural acids that can sit on teeth. Sour candies are ultra-acidic. Sugar-free sodas still contain acidic ingredients such as citric or malic acid, both of which can quickly degrade enamel.

Erosion is a prevalent and troubling problem among younger age groups due to the consumption of sports and energy drinks. When teeth are continually bathed in acidic ingredients, we may see changes in the shape of teeth and significant deterioration of brightness that may not be treatable with teeth whitening.

Smile-Saving Tips

Protecting your smile from acidity is easy. One way is to choose crunchy, whole-food snacks like carrots, cucumbers, and apples. Another smile-saving tip is to rinse your mouth with water after any snack. It takes a few seconds to swish water through the mouth and across all teeth (remember to swish through front teeth, too) to reap long-lasting rewards.

Schedule A Consultation

Dental exams and cleanings are also an essential aspect of saving your smile. Schedule your visit in our Beverly Hills office at (310) 276-4537.

For millions of people, there is nothing like waking up to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee. It’s as if the scent alone lifts the fog of sleep and fatigue, as well as the mood! To think that coffee could be damaging your teeth would not be far off. Due to acidity, tannins, and polyphenols in coffee, damage is, in fact, likely. The biggest concern that most people have about their coffee habit is how the appearance of their smile will be affected. At some point, the daily coffee habit will result in stains. However, we are about to tell you that it’s all Ok! With a few new habits, you can save your smile from the consequences of your love of coffee.

• Drink up . . . within limits. One of the issues with coffee is that the tannins in this beverage can seep into the crevices and pores of enamel, ultimately leading to discoloration. Sipping coffee all morning long may sound divine, but this could be one of the instigators of staining. Instead of perpetual sipping, enjoy a cup here and there.
• Rinse it. After each cup, if you enjoy more than one, swish some water around in your mouth. In fact, if you really want to save your teeth, swish mid-cup! Rinsing the mouth with water dilutes the acidity of the mouth and also washes tannins away so they do not sit on enamel.
• Cream, please. Some say that we shouldn’t add cream to our coffee. Who needs the extra calories? There are two ways to look at this. One is that cream has been said to bind to tannins, which inhibits them from settling on teeth. Second, research demonstrates that some healthy fat like full cream can be good for overall health.
• Eat it away. Chomping on fresh, crunchy fruits and vegetables, like celery and apples, can be really good for your teeth. The crunchiness is both satisfying and cleansing, giving your teeth a brief, gentle polishing. Just be mindful to wait at least an hour before eating something crunchy, or brushing your teeth; enamel is more susceptible to abrasions after an acidic cup of Joe.

Healthy coffee-drinking habits can keep your teeth and gums in better health. However, there is no way to fully escape the consequences of a beloved coffee habit. If discoloration is affecting how you feel about your smile, give us a call. Professional teeth whitening can rescue your smile.

When it’s warm outside we all enjoy our favorite warm weather foods and beverages! Have you ever considered how some of these affect your smile? You may be surprised. Here’s a short list of foods that can do some damage to your teeth if you’re not thoughtful about it.

Warm Weather Foods To Be Aware Of:

• Iced Coffee – Many people not only start the day drinking iced coffee, but continue to sip on it throughout the day. Because your teeth are very porous, coffee can leave significant stains on your teeth. Lightening up your coffee with cream or milk helps a little.
• Pickles & Pickled Vegetables – Pickles are typically made with lots of vinegar and sugar—two things that can be harmful to your teeth. The vegetables are healthy but the brine is what can do some real damage.
• Sports Drinks – People are a lot more active during warm weather months. Do you turn to sports drinks to stay hydrated? Just be careful. Many are full of sugars and acids.
• Diet Soda – These drinks may seem harmless because they don’t have sugar, but they still have a lot of acidity and other harmful substances that can affect your tooth enamel.
• Barbecue Sauce – Most barbecue sauces contain lots of sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, and (in some cases) dye which can contribute to damage or stains.

Helpful Tips:

• Don’t swish around sport or fruit drinks, or hold them in your mouth.
• After drinking sports drinks, wait an hour before brushing your teeth so you don’t harm the softened enamel.
• Eat more fresh vegetables such as cucumbers and celery.
• After eating barbecued foods or foods that stick between teeth, chew sugar free gum and/or rinse your mouth with water.

And Just For Fun

Check out these summer hacks (especially the ones that encourage all of us to drink more water and eat more fruit)!

Enjoy the warm weather! And, if you have questions about this information, please let us know and let’s visit!

Straws Can Help Minimize Exposure

Beverages like iced coffee, sports drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, and colas contribute to tooth staining, decay and erosion. Sipping them through a straw can help protect your teeth.

• Staining – Strongly pigmented beverages—such as berry smoothies and red wine—can stain teeth. A straw can help.
• Decay – Your soft drink consumption habits may be apparent by simply looking in your mouth. For some, it’s the back molars that see a lot of decay due to swishing and letting soda pool in their mouths before swallowing. For those who sip on soda throughout the day, decay may be more evident in their front teeth. Straws can help, especially when positioned correctly in your mouth.
• Sensitivity – Reducing opportunities for sugar and acid to attack your enamel helps protect it against sensitivity caused by erosion and decay. Straws can also help reduce those jabs of sensitivity caused by cold or hot drinks.

Is Your Straw Positioned Correctly?

Get into the habit of positioning straws at the back of your mouth so that drinks have minimal exposure to teeth. You can further reduce harmful effects by:

• NOT swishing beverages around in your mouth.
• NOT continuously sipping on harmful drinks throughout the day.
• Following your drinks up with water, sugarless gum, or celery.

Don’t Rely On Straws To Do All The Work

Even fun straws can’t do all the heavy lifting for you.

Practice good eating habits and brush your teeth morning and night, and don’t forget to floss! Keep your regularly scheduled appointments, and if you have questions about staining, decay, or sensitivity give us a call! You can message us on our Facebook page too!

Thanks For Being Our Valued Patient!

We believe in preventive dentistry and yes, much of that depends on you! Cleaning your teeth after you eat is important, but the effects of good habits also have a lot to do with what you eat.

Keep Your Smile Healthy By Packing Great Lunches

Eating on-the-go can be problematic. In the morning, grabbing a donut is much easier than making an omelette! But taking the time to think through what you’re eating for lunch is really important for both your oral and overall health. Whether you’re planning your own lunch or you’re making lunch for your kids to take to school, keep these three smile-friendly lunch tips in mind.

1. Switch Out The Troublemakers – Chewy, sweet foods like gummies or dried fruits like Craisins can be really bad for your teeth because they stick! For a sweet treat, choose fresh fruit or even a little bit of chocolate. Processed, starchy crackers or chips are trouble-makers. They stick to teeth and turn into sugars very quickly. Opt for whole grains instead—or even better, some healthy nuts or seeds.
2. Reconsider What You Drink – Soda and sports drinks are bad news for your teeth. Some fruit juices are loaded with sugar and acid as well. Consider milk or water instead. Chocolate milk may be a good option too. It offers protein and almost half of your daily calcium.If you just can’t kick the soda habit, drink water after you finish lunch to help clean and rebalance your mouth.
3. Use Natural Scrubbers – There are certain foods that actually help your teeth. For example, yogurt and cheese can cut acidity making something like fruit juice less harmful. And then there are great fruits and vegetables that scrub your teeth when you eat them and get rid of built-up sugars and starches from your lunch. These include celery, apples, carrots, cucumbers, and pears.

This Video Is Specific To School Lunches, But The Tips Are Great For Everyone!

The ideas in this video are great. Start using some of them today!

Do You Have Any Tips To Add? Do you have any ideas of your own to add? Comment below, we’d love to hear from you! Thanks for your trust in our practice. We appreciate wonderful patients like you.

YES, SNACKS AND DESSERTS ARE BOTH TEMPTING AND TASTY! But they can wreak havoc on your teeth. For your smile’s health, when it comes to sweets, consider what and when you eat.

One Option… Don’t Save Dessert For Last!

When you finish off a meal with something sweet the starch and sugar may end up camping out on your teeth longer while your saliva works to wash it away. Eating other kinds of foods last—such as fruits, vegetables, cheese—speeds up the cleansing process and reduces the amount of time your smile is exposed to potentially harmful substances.

Start Making The Shift To More Smile-Friendly Desserts And Snacks

We understand… Eliminating all sweets isn’t easy! The good news is that it probably isn’t necessary either. However, you can better avoid their negative effects by eating less of them. Try eating snacks that both you AND your smile will like, including:

• dairy products like cheese and yogurt
• hard-boiled eggs, raw peanuts, almonds
• fresh fruits and vegetables
• pumpkin and sunflower seeds
• sugar-free gum

Whether they’re increasing saliva flow, providing smile-friendly vitamins and minerals, or neutralizing acid produced by plaque, the foods above can help prevent tooth decay. And they’re delicious too!

Easy Action Items:

Mom was right…

1. Limit the amount of sweets you eat.
2. When you DO eat something sugary, eat it before or with something else.
3. Clean your teeth after snacks and meals.
4. Keep up routine checkups.

Again, Thank You For The Continued Trust You Place In Our Practice. We Appreciate You!

A COUPLE OF CENTURIES AGO it was very unusual for people to have their original teeth in their mouth on their 40th birthday! And as little as 50 years ago, half of the people you walked by over the age of 65 had already lost nearly all of their teeth. Today, that number has been drastically reduced.

We’re All Part Of An Amazing Trend

Despite all of the modern threats to our smiles that we often hear about (including rampant sugar use, popularized acidic beverages, etc.) overall oral health continues to improve. In most countries, at every age, we’re keeping more of our teeth than we were 20 years ago in 1994:

Modern Dentistry Is Focused On Preventive Care And Keeping Teeth

Back in the olden days when preventive care was rare, the result was a lot of toothaches. Often, the default solution for a toothache was to just pull the tooth. Today’s materials and treatment advances have made that default solution rare—especially when patients maintain regular checkups.

The gum health in a 60-year-old today is about the same as it was in a 40-year-old back in 1973. One of the contributing factors is likely the rise of regular flossing! Dental floss was patented in the late 19th century, but it has taken a long time for regular flossing to become mainstream.

What To Expect As Your Teeth Age

Our teeth change as we age. Some of these changes can make optimal oral health more difficult. You may experience:

• Extreme Yellowing – As the white enamel layer wears down, the yellow dentin underneath becomes more visible.
• Increased Gum Disease Risk – Our ability to naturally fight infections—like gingivitis—decreases.
• Dry mouth – Often a side-effect of taking more medications.

Remember, we can help you with these challenges!

What NOT To Expect

• Losing Your Teeth! Isn’t it great to know that together we may make dentures (like your grandma’s) a thing of the past?

Although oral health risks increase with age, we know how to combat them! And with good habits, your natural teeth can be around as long as you are. No denture adhesives, no living off soup everyday. So let’s put in the little bit of work now. Make sure that you brush and floss every day—and maintain cleanings and check-ups.

Thank You For The Trust You Place In Us. We Appreciate You.

IT’S OFTEN SAID, and health studies agree, that breakfast may be the most important meal of the day. And by the way, breakfast affects our oral health too!

Popular Breakfast Choices Can Damage Smiles

Given our on-the-go lifestyles, breakfast can become an imbalanced, over-sugary meal! We don’t typically eat candy for breakfast—yet, we choose popular cereals and pastries that are full of sugar. These unhealthy breakfast choices can be damaging to our teeth and gums with multiplying effects if we’re not brushing and flossing after breakfast.

A Healthy, Balanced Breakfast Can Protect Your Smile

Your mouth, like your body, needs nutritious food to stay healthy. A balanced breakfast rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, and healthy proteins can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay, early tooth loss, and gum disease.

Tips For A Smile-Friendly Breakfast

• Eat whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat bread) instead of refined grains.
• Eat firm, ripe fruits and healthier vegetables.
• Drink water or unsweetened tea to strengthen tooth enamel and help prevent tooth decay.
• Use moderation with fruit juices and smoothies—they’re typically high in sugar and can be quite acidic.
• Consider dinner for breakfast! Chicken, fish, beans, cheese, etc.
• Eat high fiber cereals with less preservatives and added sugar.

Breakfast Kickstarts Your Day & Your Healthy Smile

Start eating breakfasts that protect your smile AND make you feel good (studies have found that breakfast affects your energy and focus). If you have ideas or recipes for healthy, balanced breakfasts, share them with us below or on Facebook!

Thank You For Trusting Us With Your Oral Health! We Appreciate You.

WHY ARE CERTAIN CANDIES so bad for our teeth? One reason is all that sugar, of course. We know that. Here’s something you may not think about as often… Many popular treats include the descriptors tart, tangy, and sour. It seems the more bitter, the better.

Trouble is, our teeth are paying the price for this sour trend and we continue to see the damage.

Acid Erodes Our Teeth

A pH scale shows where substances are on a spectrum from base to acidic. 14–12 is really base, and 2–0 is really acidic.

A nice, neutral pH level of 7 is ideal for your mouth. When you eat acidic foods the pH level lowers. This can create a hostile, enamel-eroding environment for your teeth. No sugar (or plaque) is necessarily needed for an “acid attack” to be damaging.

Let’s Break It Down

Our tooth enamel can start to erode at a pH level of 4. Spree, a relatively mild sour candy, has a pH level of 3, Sour Skittles 2.2, and WarHeads Spray 1.6. That’s pretty shocking when you consider battery acid has a pH level of 1.0.

The Sad Signs Of Erosion

The acid in sour candy can really take a toll on our teeth and may even cause:

• Sensitivity
• Translucence at the biting edge of your teeth
• Increased cavities due to weakened enamel

Be Smart

Chewing sugarless gum stimulates saliva flow for cleansing. Swishing water around in your mouth can also help. Still, the smartest thing you can do is to stop eating tart candies, or eat them very sparingly. They’re treats, not snacks.

If you’re experiencing signs of acid erosion, ask us about it. We can help.

Thanks For Being Our Valued Patient! We Hope You And Your Smile Are Doing Well!

HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING STATS about soft drinks:

• The average soft drink serving size has tripled since the 1950s.
• The average person drinks about 45 gallons of soda per year.
• 7% of adults drink four servings or more per day.
• At least 20% of children drink four servings or more per day.

Soft drinks are loaded with sugar and empty calories. Consumption has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.

But of major concern to us, as your lifelong oral health partner, is that sugary, carbonated drinks really bully your teeth!

1. The Acids Eat Away At Your Tooth Enamel

Your tooth enamel is strong—the hardest substance in your body, in fact. But the phosphoric acid and citric acid in soft drinks (ironic name for sodas, isn’t it?) is stronger.

2. Carbonated Sugar Is Replacing Calcium-Rich Milk

In 1966, Americans drank more milk (33 gallons/year) than soft drinks (20 gallons/year). Contrast that with 2010, when the average American drank 45 gallons of soft drinks and only 20 gallons of milk.

3. Diet Isn’t Really Better

You can remove sugar from the equation, but the acid is still there! In fact, many sugar-free soft drinks are more acidic than high-sugar ones.

Root beer may be the safest soft drink for your teeth, even though it’s loaded with sugar. Why? Because it’s comparatively low in acid.

4. Constant Sipping Creates A Constant War Zone

Every time you take a sip of a Coke, your mouth becomes an acid-attack zone. It takes your mouth up to 30 minutes to rebalance and create a safe zone for your teeth again. Until then, your teeth ARE losing protective substance, leaving them more vulnerable to cavities, and sensitivity.

5. It’s A Dessert Disguised As A Beverage

Don’t believe us? Here’s the math… One 12 oz can of Coke (the smallest serving available) has 39 grams of sugar, which is more than…

• 3 snack packs of Chips Ahoy
• 2 servings of frozen yogurt
• A whole slice of apple pie WITH ice cream on top.

So, minimize the damage by:

1. Drinking less! Replace soft drinks with milk, water, even juice.
2. Drinking it all at once, instead of sipping all day.
3. Swishing it down with water to clear away the sugar and acidity.

What Do YOU Think?

What are YOU doing, if anything, to cut back on beverages that aren’t great for your teeth? Are you trying to drink more water? Any secrets for doing so that you can share with us and with our other patients? Please comment below, or on our Facebook page. We love hearing from you.

Thanks for being our valued patient!

MARCH IS NUTRITION MONTH—an education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Of course the topic of eating enough fruits and vegetables is applicable to our overall health, but most of us don’t often think about the implications for our teeth, gums, and complete oral health.

Feed Your Teeth And Gums What They Really Want

Did you know that…

• Fibrous fruits and vegetables help clean your teeth.
• Magnesium from bananas can help restore tooth enamel.
• The Vitamin A in butternut squash can help heal sores in your mouth.
• Dark, leafy greens and broccoli have LOTS of calcium, which is great for our teeth.
• Vitamin C from citrus fruits helps keep our gums healthy.
• Replacing sugary, starchy snacks with healthy fruits and vegetables can lower your tooth decay risk.
• Yep… What’s good for your body is usually really good for your mouth too!

Are You Eating Enough Fruits And Vegetables?

Not sure how many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables you need? Click on the calculator (left) to find out, based on your age, gender, and daily activity level. The recommended number of servings may be much higher than you think. And if you’re not consuming enough servings, here are some handy tips that will help:

1. Switch up your snacks. Cookies and crackers are easy to eat because they’re so accessible. With a little effort, fruits and vegetables can be just as accessible. Slice apples, pre-cut vegetables (and if you need it, pre-make a favorite dip for them).

2. Include vegetables in your entrees. Load up sandwiches and pizzas with them. Incorporate them into burritos, pasta, scrambled eggs, etc.

3. Add fruits to desserts. Put berries in your yogurt, bananas in your cereal, and order the fruit tart instead of the chocolate cake. Even better, replace usual desserts with a fruit plate.

4. Experiment with different vegetables and vegetable cooking techniques. This will add variety! To start, try this one:

Your Teeth Love Vegetables. Your Oral Bacteria Loves Sugars.

We hope these ideas help you become the healthiest you can be. As one of your lifelong health partners, we’re concerned about both your overall and oral health. Do YOU have a few of your own ideas that will help others? Please share them below, or on our Facebook page!

DOES FREQUENT SNACKING PRESENT PROBLEMS FOR OUR TEETH? Well, it depends. Every time we eat, our mouths go to work cleaning things up and restoring “balance”.

Having three meals a day is one thing. But when we continuously snack, our mouths struggle more to maintain that clean, happy balance—especially when we’re eating the wrong kinds of foods.

The Types Of Foods We Snack On Make A Difference

Some snacks are hard to resist, but they’re also harder on your teeth. This includes starchy foods, sugary foods, and really acidic things like orange juice or energy drinks. So what does it mean to snack smart? Snacking smart doesn’t mean you have to cut out those hard-to-resist snacks altogether. After all, what are we supposed to do in the theater while we’re watching a movie?! But smart snacking DOES mean a couple of things:

1. Being more aware! Start noticing the snacks you’re eating, and WHEN you’re eating them.

2. Keeping “teeth-healthy” snacks handy. At first you’ll miss the sweets. But very quickly your tastes will adjust and smart snacks will easily tide you over between meals and late at night. Here are some suggestions:

• Crunchy, fibrous vegetables and fruits, like apples, actually scrub your teeth and increase saliva flow.
• Protein-rich foods like beans, meats, and eggs have phosphorus and minerals that help build strong teeth. Try edamame as a snack!
• Cheese is sugar/starch free, and dairy products are high in calcium which is great for teeth.

Did You Know An Apple Is Like A Mini Toothbrush?

When you’re craving a snack, practice putting away the crackers and cookies. Opt for something that’s good for your teeth instead.

Eating Treats With Your Meals

Don’t torture yourself. If you choose, having a starchy or sugary treat once in a while is fine. Eating them at the right time can help too, and potentially have a less damaging effect on your teeth.

• Eat treats WITH a meal to help dilute their effects and wash them down. During meals, you have increased saliva flow to clean away debris, counteract acids, and remineralize your teeth.
• Follow up with brushing or rinsing—and when brushing isn’t convenient, consider chewing on some sugar-free gum.

Do you have smart snacking tips of your own? We’d love to hear them! You can leave a comment below, or you can always reach us on our Facebook page.

Thanks For Your Trust In Our Practice! We Appreciate You!

Residents of Beverly Hills love their green tea. Green tea not only tastes great, it offers many health benefits and it is great for your teeth and gums. The ancient Chinese and Japanese healers used green tea to cure disease and heal wounds and it seems they were right.

Research over the past several years has shown that drinking green tea benefits heart health, may help with weight loss and even prevent cancer. The Journal of Periodontology published research that showed that routinely drinking green tea improved oral health.

The study done in Japan found that those who regularly drank green tea had less gum disease than those who didn’t drink tea. Researchers observed that for every cup of green tea consumed per day there was a decrease in periodontal pocket depth, loss of attachment of gum tissue and bleeding – all measures your dentist uses to assess gum health.

Green tea contains the antioxidant catechin which has been proven to reduce inflammation in the body. By interfering with the body’s inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria, green tea seems to promote gum health and prevent further disease.

Resolve to make green tea part of your plan for a healthy smile. Brushing, flossing and visiting your dental hygienist regularly, along with a healthy diet that includes green tea can ensure good oral health for a lifetime.

If it has been over six months since your last professional cleaning please contact the office of Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. David Frey today at 310-276-4537 to schedule your appointment.