Snacking several times a day seems harmless but can be significantly harmful to your oral health, even if you maintain the habit of brushing your teeth twice a day.
This is a warning given by Dr. Nikita Motwani, cosmetic dental expert and co-founder of Smile Concepts General Dental Clinic (India).
According to Ms. Motwani, many people still have tooth decay despite proper oral hygiene and the cause lies in the habit of continuous snacking.
Dr Motwani explains that every time you eat or drink sweets and starches, bacteria in your mouth convert them into acid.
This amount of acid immediately attacks tooth enamel, reducing the pH in the mouth and staying there for 2030 minutes.
If you snack many times a day, acid attacks build up, leaving teeth unable to recover.
Its not about the amount of sugar in a particular dish, its about the frequency of consumption. The more I snack, the more my teeth get attacked, Ms. Motwani emphasized.
According to clinical observations, many people have the habit of sipping cookies, dried fruits, coffee or snacks all day.
This caused the mouth to continuously acidize for many hours. Meanwhile, saliva, a factor that helps neutralize acid and re-ferment tooth enamel, has no chance to function.
As a result, the risk of tooth decay, tooth decay, and hoarseness increases significantly. Dr. Motwani recommends eating regular meals to give teeth time to recover between exposures to food.
Experts also point out some popular snacks that are harmful to teeth. The first group is dried fruits such as raisins, dates, figs or energy bars.
These foods often stick to toothbrushes, retain them for hours and create a favorable environment for bacteria to grow.
The second group is Namkeen and French fries, which contain a lot of starch, easily broken down into sugar and stuck in small grooves on the tooth.
In addition, many types of granola or healthy energy bars actually contain high amounts of sugar from honey or syrup, which can easily cause fermentation.
Fruit juices, smoothies and coconut water are also at risk because they contain high levels of natural sugar and acid, even without added sugar.
Finally, the habit of drinking cold coffee with a lot of sugar over a long period of time increases the number of acid attacks, as each cup drunk within an hour can create 45 different waves of acid.
According to Dr. Motwani, the best way to protect your teeth is not only to brush your teeth regularly but also to adjust your eating behavior.
People need to limit continuous snacking, prioritize concentrated meals and drink water between meals. Proper oral care must go hand in hand with controlling the frequency of sugar and acid exposure to keep tooth enamel healthy for a long time.
(The article is for reference only, not a replacement for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor if you have health questions).
