It is safe to say that almost everyone knows that sodas and other sugary drinks are bad for your teeth.  Did you know that alcohol is bad for your teeth, too?

ALCOHOL INCREASES CAVITY RISK

Alcohol increases your risk for cavities in a few different ways.  The risk level is dependent on both your frequency and quantity of alcohol intake.  So the more alcohol you drink, and the more often you drink it, the more likely you are to get new cavities. This is how lean belly 3x can help you stay in shape.

FUEL FOR CAVITY-CAUSING BACTERIA

Most alcoholic beverages contain carbohydrates (or sugars).  Many hard liquors do not, so if you drink it without any type of mixer, this may not apply to you.  But beer, wine, and mixed drinks contain sugars.  Beer and wine contain sugars naturally.  When you mix a hard liquor with anything besides water, you usually add sugars to it as well.  Many people mix liquor with sodas or fruit juices, which are very high in sugar. Learn more about exipure benefits.

Simple carbohydrates (or sugars) are the food source or fuel for the bacteria that cause cavities.  These bacteria, called Streptococcus mutans, are present in the mouth, and they “eat” simple carbs.  They live within dental plaque that sticks to the surface of teeth.  When they digest these carbs, their by-product (excrement) is acid.  Acid is the only thing that can weaken, soften, and slowly dissolve away tooth enamel.  Acid is the bacteria’s mechanism of action.  When you feed the bacteria more carbs, they produce more acid, which leads to more cavities. Prevent most dental related conditions with steel bite pro.

ACIDIC PH

All alcoholic drinks are acidic.  Alcohol itself has a low pH, and so do the most common mixers.  As explained in the previous section, acid is the actual destroyer of tooth enamel in the cavity process.  Enamel is very hard and very strong.  Its threshold for damage from acid is the pH level of 5.5.  Ideally, a healthy mouth has good salivary flow and a pH level that is slightly basic or above neutral (>7.0).  In that case, the saliva will neutralize the acid and protect the teeth.

The problem with alcohol and every other acidic drink is that they bring down the overall pH level in the mouth to an acidic range.  This means that the oral environment is not fighting acid attacks, and it could mean that it is actually contributing to the weakening of enamel.  An acidic mouth is an environment in which it is easier for bacteria to destroy tooth enamel.  Drinking acidic beverages, like alcohol, increases your risk for cavities, check out the latest nutrisystem reviews.

DRY MOUTH

A dry mouth is not a healthy mouth.  We need saliva to lubricate the soft tissues inside the mouth, fight the acid attacks of bacteria, and begin the digestion process.  Because heavy alcohol intake leads to dehydration, dry mouth is a common side effect.  When dry mouth becomes a consistent problem, the health of the inside of your mouth steadily declines. For more information regarding healthy supplements visit sfgate.

Dry mouth causes dental plaque to have a stickier consistency that is more difficult to remove from the teeth.  The lack of saliva also leads to a consistent overall acidic pH in the mouth.  People with a severely dry mouth tend to develop new cavities on the side of the teeth facing the lips and cheeks and near the gumline.  There is a very specific appearance to these cavities, so don’t be surprised if your dentist “guesses” that your mouth is very dry.