When it comes to your dental health, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around. Whether you’ve picked up bad teeth information from television, a friend, or even a confusing article, it may be affecting what you do with your teeth. We try to help you maintain the best smile you can, which is why we’re busting a few dental myths. Keep reading to see if you’ve believed any of the below dental misconceptions.
Sensitive Teeth Mean Cavities
Though sensitive teeth can sometimes hint that something is wrong with a tooth, they don’t always mean that you have a cavity. In fact, a sensitive tooth may not mean anything further than a sensitive tooth. Often, a newly developed sensitivity just means that you should brush a little more gently (you may be starting to wear down your gums), or try a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth.
Regardless of what you think it is, it’s important to have your dentist check out your sensitive tooth to make sure there is nothing more serious happening. Sometimes a sensitivity does hint at a cavity or a tooth that needs a root canal (or other work). Before you panic, though, remember that it could be nothing. Just see your dentist and have it checked out.
Sugar is Sugar
While we love sugar as much as the next person, it’s pretty clear that sugar is bad for your teeth. That’s why we try to minimize our sugary treats as much as possible. But, what if we told you that eating all your candy all at once might actually be better for your teeth than what you’re doing?
That’s right, but let us explain. Let’s say you have a certain amount of candy set aside to eat for the day (maybe some leftover Valentine’s Day candy that’s been hanging around). If you decide to just eat all of that candy all at once, you may actually be making a better choice than if you spread out the candy throughout the day.
It all comes down to the time your teeth are exposed to danger. When you eat sugar (in the form of candy or sugar), the bacteria in your mouth take twenty seconds to turn that sugar into acid. This acid then tends to hang around in your mouth for around thirty minutes afterward, where it can start doing damage to your teeth. If you eat a piece every thirty minutes, you could be exposing your teeth to damaging acid for hours over the span of a day.
Interested in learning more about teeth, or looking to schedule a visit in Mesa, Arizona? Call us at (480) 834-6991 today.