Alcohol and Your Teeth

Seeing as how St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday know for “festivities” involving alcohol, let’s take a look at the effects of alcoholic beverages on your teeth.  

For this month’s blog topic, we’ll take a look at how alcohol can affect your entire oral cavity, including your gums and teeth.  

Most alcoholic beverages contain a large amount of sugars and acids which are harmful to your mouth.  Acids in these beverages can demineralize/soften your teeth, and when sugars combine with natural bacteria in the mouth they also form an acid that attacks enamel. 

This is especially true when the teeth are constantly exposed to sugars and starches in alcohol without any breaks.

Much like smoking, alcohol can also dry out your mouth. Because saliva is a powerful tool in reducing the incidence of cavities and maintaining a proper pH in your oral cavity, a dry mouth can accelerate the damage caused by the sugar in alcohol.

Heavy drinking can lead to:

• Irritation of the gums, tongue and other oral tissues
• Poor healing following a  dental surgery
• Poor overall dental hygiene habits
• Increase in tooth decay
• Increase risk of periodontal (gum) disease

We at Beachside Dental hope everyone has a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day, and enjoys the first month of Spring!

Flossing Facts

Flossing Facts...

Thank you for your interest in our new monthly blog!  For this month's topic, I'd like to share some interesting information about flossing your teeth.  Many of my patients either do not floss at all, or are confused about flossing and its benefits.  It's time we address this important issue...

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, flossing is the SINGLE most important thing a person can do to help prevent plaque buildup.  Plaque is the sticky/yellow biofilm that will build up on all surfaces of a tooth.  Flossing your teeth is the ONLY way to prevent plaque build-up on the surfaces where two teeth touch one another, known as the interproximal contact.

Flossing also helps prevent tooth decay.  I would say that more than 50% of the cavities I treat are located in the interproximal contact, and flossing would help prevent this by removing debris or food particles which are major sources of tooth decay.

A common complaint that many patients have is that flossing causes their gums to bleed.  In fact, if flossing causes your gums to bleed, it is a sign that you have active periodontal disease (inflammation of gum tissues and the bone).  In addition to having your teeth cleaned professionally every 6 months, flossing is an easy home remedy for controlling periodontal disease.

There are many types of dental floss.  You can try both waxed or unwaxed floss, flavored or unflavored.  There is traditional floss that you can unroll or there are floss sticks that are much easier for younger patients to use.  There are also special types of floss that make it easier to floss underneath "bridges" or other hard to reach areas.

If you have any questions regarding the benefits of flossing, please do not hesitate to contact Beachside Dental at (805) 308-6998 or info@beachsidedds.com.