Bad for Your Teeth: Foodstuffs that Promote Bacterial Growth

We all have millions of bacteria in our mouths. We couldn’t live without these microscopic lifeforms, as some species play an essential part in the early stages of digestion – helping to break down the foods we eat even as we chew. Other bacteria that have made their home in our mouths are more parasitic. These nasty bacteria are responsible for gum disease.

Plaque and Tartar

Plaque is a colourless sticky film that builds up on your teeth between brushes. This is the perfect environment for oral bacteria. They extract carbohydrates from the sugary foods that stick to the plaque and excrete acid that damages your teeth and gums. Tartar is the hard yellowish crust of mineral deposits that forms on your teeth and gums when plaque reacts with saliva. Plaque can be removed by brushing, but tartar can only be removed by your dentist. 

Foodstuffs that Promote Bacterial Growth

As we have seen, bacteria love to eat carbohydrates. So do humans – one of the most common carbohydrates is sugar. Here are five foodstuffs that promote bacterial growth. Some are more obvious than others:

• Sugary Drinks: These days, it is well-known that fizzy drinks such as Coca-Cola and Red Bull have a high sugar content. People who are conscious of their oral health tend to avoid them altogether. Less well-known is the high sugar content of alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is formed by the fermentation of sugars, but in most drinks this process is incomplete so they still contain a lot of sugar.
  
• Chocolate: One recommendation for chocoholics looking to reduce their sugar intake is to switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate. The latter contains less sugar to start with and its higher concentration of cocoa solids gives you a longer lasting chocolate hit – meaning you might be satisfied with less.
  
• Sweets: Another obvious culprit. Many sweets are essentially boiled sugar. If you must, make sure that you are brushing your teeth and seeing your dentist regularly!
  
• Cakes. Popular television shows like the Great British Bake Off have led to a resurgence in the hobby of home-baking. You'd think this might be an innocent hobby, but a lot of refined sugar goes into a cake. Some recipes call for a greater proportion of sugar than flour! The key once again is moderation. Save your cake consumption for special occasions and if you can't brush your teeth soon after eating a slice, chew a piece of sugar-free gum to get your saliva glands pumping.  
• Crisps: Perhaps surprisingly, this savoury snack is one of the worst things that you can eat in terms of feeding bacteria. Crisp residue will stick to your teeth and gumline providing a perfect food-rich environment in which harmful bacteria will thrive.
  

Nature’s Toothbrushes

It’s not all bad news. Raw foods that have a soft centre protected by a tougher skin such as carrots, apples and cucumbers are rich in natural sugars, but don’t have to be reduced or avoided. The very act of crunching these kinds of foods in their raw unpeeled state seems to remove plaque.

Along with brushing and regular visits to the dentist, diet plays a key part in maintaining good oral hygiene. We’d all agree that prevention is better than cure, but if you are worried about the health of your gums, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We provide specialist treatments for periodontal disease that other dentists may not be able to offer. 

Our reception team will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about our processes and treatments, give us a call on 01603 632525.

For regular articles on oral health and company news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.