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We mark special times throughout the year to encourage better oral health, like Dental Hygiene Month, and Children’s Dental Health Month, and even National Root Canal Day! This July 21st is National Junk Food Day, and we couldn’t let it pass without some healthy ideas to help you make the best of this not-so-dentally-healthy day.

What makes junk food unhealthy? Most of the foods in this category have high levels of sugars, starches, salts, or fats, which aren’t good for your body in large quantities. When it comes to your dental health in particular, some junk foods are worse than others because they are actively destructive to your tooth enamel.

Foods like candy, cookies, doughnuts, chips, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sodas can have large amounts of sugar, starch, and acid. And a diet filled with sugars, starches, and acids puts your tooth enamel under constant attack. 

The bacteria in plaque make acids from the sugars and starches (which break down into sugars) in our diets. These acids then erode the mineral crystals which give our enamel its strength, leaving weak spots which can deepen and become cavities. A steady diet of sweet and starchy foods for you creates a steady diet of sugar for cavity-causing bacteria. 

Just like the acids produced by bacteria can erode tooth enamel, acids in food can also strip away the minerals which keep your enamel strong. Sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and many fruit juices are often both sugary and highly acidic, making them very damaging to tooth enamel.

So, let’s spend a few moments today to discuss how you can enjoy a bit of junk food every now and then and still take good care of your teeth.

• Limit Sugars, Starches, and Acids

We don’t just mean limiting the number of treats you eat in a day. It’s also a good idea to limit treats to certain times as well. Eat desserts with meals, when saliva production is higher, to help wash away sugary and starchy food particles. Acidic drinks, when sipped throughout the day, are like bathing your teeth in acids. Better to drink a soda or sports drink in one sitting and drink or rinse with water after! 

• Brush after Eating Sticky Sugary and Starchy Foods

Sticky foods filled with sugars and starches are double jeopardy for your tooth enamel. Not only are they the foods of choice for plaque bacteria, they also tend to stick to your enamel and between your teeth, giving cavity-causing bacteria more time to work. An after-treat brushing will get rid of any sugary or starchy leftovers as well as removing built up plaque.

• —But Don’t Brush Too Soon After Acidic Foods and Drinks

When you eat or drink something acidic, your enamel is more vulnerable to damage immediately afterward because acids remove minerals from tooth enamel. If you brush right away, even soft bristles can be abrasive. Wait about 60 minutes to brush, which gives your tooth surface time to get strong again with the enamel-building minerals found in saliva. 

• Make Water Part of Your Healthy Diet

Easy, available, inexpensive—what’s not to like about water? Oh, and it’s also healthy for your teeth! Rinsing with water after a treat helps remove lingering food particles and acids. And drinking water when you’re thirsty helps you produce saliva. Saliva not only rinses our teeth, it helps neutralize acids and helps replace calcium and phosphate minerals which may have been stripped away by acids.

This July 21st, we’re not really celebrating junk food—we’re celebrating all the things you do to protect your oral health. So, whether you’re indulging today or not, keep your teeth their healthiest by making junk food a rare treat, keeping up with your daily brushing and flossing, and seeing your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings. Let’s make National Junk Food Day just another day in a year filled with healthy smiles!

Not many people look forward to going to the dentist, especially if you already know that you need dental work done. A small amount of anxiety is one thing, but dental phobia, or odontophobia, is something else entirely. It is an irrational fear of going to the dentist. If you have it, you might be unable to force yourself to go to the dentist, even if you are suffering from bad tooth pain. The effects of dental phobia can be serious, but there are ways to overcome your fear of the dentist to help you achieve and maintain good oral health.

Causes of Dental Phobia

You can develop dental phobia for a variety of reasons, including the following.

• Fear of pain, which you might acquire based on others’ horror stories of their trips to the dentist.
• Fear of needles, such as those used to provide anesthesia.
• A previous bad experience, when something went wrong and pain was intolerable.
• Lack of control from not knowing what is happening or how uncomfortable a procedure might be.

Consequences of Dental Phobia

Avoiding the dentist can have long-term consequences. When caught early, tooth decay is easily stopped with a minor filling. If you let the decay go, you can end up losing your tooth and have chronic pain. A dentist can also check for early signs of gum disease, which, if left untreated, could lead to losing one or more teeth.

Even if you do not have a particular problem, going to a dentist for regular cleanings is a good idea because the hygienist can point out where you need to brush better and remove the plaque from your teeth.

Getting Over Fear of the Dentist

Most patients with dental phobia can get over their condition. These are some approaches that Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team recommend:

• Explain each step of the process
• Let you know that you can stop the procedure at any time
• Encourage you to come with a family member or friend
• Help you with deep breathing techniques

Sports and energy drinks cause irreversible damage to the teeth of teens and young adults. A recent study published in General Dentistry states that energy and sports drinks contain so much acid that they begin destroying teeth after only five days of consistent use. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of U.S. teenagers consume energy drinks and as many as 62 percent consume at least one sports drink per day. The high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel and the result is irreversible damage.

Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team at Weaver Dentistry encourage our patients to limit their intake of sports drinks. The enamel erosion ultimately makes teeth more susceptible to bacteria and that can lead to hypersensitivity, staining, and tooth decay. If you do consume an energy or sports drink, make sure to wait at least 45 minutes until you brush, as consumption of acidic drinks causes tooth enamel to soften, making teeth more vulnerable to wear from the abrasives found in toothpaste.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times more common than asthma. It’s also preventable with proper care. Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team can help identify early signs of erosion and offer solutions on how to prevent further damage and more serious problems from occurring.

We get it. You’re working out and could use a boost. It’s 2 a.m. and that essay won’t write itself (darn it). You’re in the middle of a meeting that goes on and on and . . . 

It’s easy to reach for an energy drink when you’re feeling a bit low on, well, energy. These drinks are loaded with caffeine, and, like coffee or tea, can help you feel more alert. But before you pop that top, let’s look at how energy drinks affect your dental health.

• Energy drinks are very acidic.

Acid levels are measured using the pH scale, which ranges from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline). Saliva has a normal pH somewhere between 6.2 and 7.6, which helps neutralize any acidic conditions in the mouth and promotes a healthy oral environment. But saliva’s neutralizing effect can be overwhelmed by highly acidic foods and drinks.

Why are higher levels of acids bad for our teeth? Acids strip away minerals like calcium from tooth enamel, the minerals which make enamel the strongest substance in the body. This demineralization weakens the enamel’s protective outer structure and can lead to enamel loss, sensitivity, tooth discoloration, and decay.

Many energy drinks are among the most acidic beverages on the market. Mineral loss in your enamel starts to occur when the pH balance in the mouth falls to 5.5 or less. Lemon juice has a pH between 2 and 3. White vinegar has a pH of 2.5. Energy drinks can range from 1.5 to 3.5 on the pH scale! Studies show that regular consumption of energy drinks greatly increases the risk and severity of dental erosion.

• Most energy drinks are full of sugar.

Sugar is easily metabolized, or broken down, by the body. When our bodies break down food, energy is released. That’s why companies add sugar as well as caffeine to their energy drinks. 

The plaque bacteria which create cavities also use sugars in these drinks as an energy source, converting sugars into acids. Just like acidic foods and drinks, bacterial acids break down the mineral structure in tooth enamel. You might notice small white spots when the enamel starts to erode—and a cavity starts to develop. 

• Energy drinks aren’t just bad for your dental health. 

The temporary burst of energy you get from all the sugar in energy drinks is followed by a sugar crash when blood sugar levels go down again, and you can feel tired, weak, or shaky. 

Even worse, one energy drink might contain three to four times the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee. Excess caffeine interferes with healthy sleep. It can cause changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety levels. 

Children and teens are especially vulnerable to the effects of large amounts of caffeine while their brains and bodies are still developing. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no energy drinks at all for children and teenagers. The FDA suggests that adults should not take in more than 400 milligrams per day of caffeine, while energy drinks can range from around 80 to 400 mg per can. 

If you do have the occasional energy drink, what’s the best way to protect your teeth and gums?

• Don’t linger over your drink. Sipping slowly over time just bathes your teeth and gums in sugar and acids over a longer period. 
• Drink water when you’re done. Water helps wash away sugars and acids, hydrates, and promotes healthy saliva production.
• If the team at Weaver Dentistry gives gum a thumbs up, chew a piece of sugarless gum after downing an energy drink to increase saliva flow and help neutralize acids in the mouth. 
• Wait at least 30-60 minutes to brush after finishing an energy drink. Acids in the drink weaken enamel, and brushing immediately can be abrasive to the tooth surface.
• Eat a healthy diet rich in proteins, complex carbs, vitamins, and minerals to feel more energetic.
• Keep up with good dental hygiene. Brush twice each day for two minutes and floss daily, or more often as recommended by Dr. Gregory Weaver.

If you notice signs of enamel erosion—sensitivity, front teeth which are becoming transparent or rough around the edges, yellowish discoloration, or white or brown spots on your enamel—it’s time for a talk with Dr. Gregory Weaver. When caught early enough, treatment is available which can stop further erosion from harming your teeth.

The team at Weaver Dentistry in Raleigh, NC, or your doctor, can help you discover healthy ways to stay focused and energetic. Your workout, your essay, your meeting, and, above all, your healthy body and healthy smile will thank you!