Lemon juice is acidic. And as far as acidic beverages go, it is among the worst.
Your teeth are made of calcium, phosphate and other minerals. It comes down to basic chemistry.
Acid erodes and base rebuilds.
That's not quite right, because, in actuality, keeping your mouth basic helps your teeth by giving your saliva a chance to drive minerals into the tooth enamel.
Acid, causes minerals to come out.
In addition, acid is helpful to the 'bad bacteria' that, in turn, secrete more acid. This can turn into a bad cycle. More acid makes the mouth more acidic, etc.
Don't believe me when I say that lemon juice harms teeth?
So you see, I'm right again. Just kidding, I really have very little ego ( I hope I'm telling the truth when I say that) and have no need to make points. I'm getting too old to play that game.
No, it does not. Unfortunately, many people have the ill conceived notion that it is 'normal' to lose teeth with age.
The primary cause of tooth loss is gum disease. Over time, gum disease does more and more damage, making it more likely to lose a tooth.
This perception that lost teeth must come with age is erroneous. The real problem is gum disease. Yet, most people do not know they have it.
On the other hand, dental professionals often say that 75% of people have some gum disease right now. That's 3 out of every 4 people! Do you really think you are in the minority 25%? Are you sure?
It pays to educate yourself about this problem.
The book What You Should Know About Gum Disease can help you to understand what this is and what you can start to do about it. (price alert: at the time of this writing, you can get this book NEW for as low as $9 here - but that might not be the case by the time you read this!).
You know, it is a strange thing when you have people believing that it is natural to lose teeth with age. This is one of those big misconceptions that seem to plague our human race. Ignorance is not bliss.
1. Implants are expensive. In the US, a single implant can cost over $2000. What if you need more?
2. There is no good substitute for your own teeth! That's a fact. The best solutions for teeth replacement are still problematic. Nothing can 100% replace what nature has given you.
3. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss and many dental professionals say that about 75% of us have some.
One of the most powerful tools I know of to help with keeping your dental health up to par is this one.
I read an article at cbsnews.com. It was an interview of a doctor who, we assume, knows something about coffee and its effects on the body.
What I thought was interesting is that she claims it is false that coffee leaches calcium out of the bones. Then, she went on to say that studies are suggesting that people who drink coffee tend to have more brittle bones.
Finally, she suggested that you should supplement with calcium if this is a concern for you.
The problem I see with this article is that I don't understand how she got from point A to point B.
Ok, so some studies suggest that people who drink coffee tend to have more brittle bones than those who don't. And you should supplement with calcium. So, my question is. How do you discount the concept that coffee does NOT take calcium from bones?
She wants you to supplement with calcium. Isn't that suggesting that somehow calcium is lacking in those bones?
To me, the article just didn't go in depth enough to explore these seeming contradictions. I'm not saying anything negative about the doctor. I'm just suggesting that there seems to be some missing pieces there.
Any thoughts? Please share them in the comment section below.
The most important thing to understand is that you cannot leave things the way they are when you have a missing tooth.
That tooth worked in opposition to another tooth. With a hole there, the other teeth will start to shift around. This could (will most likely) over time, throw your bite of.
That in turn will create uneven wear on your teeth. That is just one small problem that can (most likely) happen.
Therefore it is important that you either get an implant or a denture. Implants can be quite expensive and dentures are not usually cheap either. Then there is the daily care involved.
You can talk over with your dentist or implantologist about what the costs and benefits / disadvantages of each are.
But do not leave a hole where a tooth used to be, this can cause many problems. It is important to get that fixed up right away.
Don't Lose Any More Teeth
The most common cause of tooth loss is gum disease. More teeth are lost to gum disease than anything else. It is tragic because many people have gum disease and have no idea that they have it. No one has really explained what is going on to them.
Dentists and hygienists probably see diseased gum tissue every day. Patients just do not fully understand what they are headed for.
Therefore, you should consider learning as much as you can about prevention and possibly stopping the progression of gum disease as soon as possible.
I guess that you would agree (I sure hope so) that you should do everything you can to save your remaining teeth.
In addition to seeing your dentist as soon as possible, here are some resources for you to learn from:
I wish you the best in preventing additional tooth loss. There is a number at the top of the screen if anything on this site sparks additional questions.
I remember reading about this a few years back. If memory serves correctly, researchers in Canada were able to regrow a human tooth invivo (in the human mouth).
They were using some type of electric stimulation. As I remember it, the only requirement was that there was some part of the root left alive.
I don't have these references handy. I would like to ask you, dear reader, to find those references and post them in the comment area below. Perhaps we can bring together obscure information into one place and show people what is really possible.
Why haven't you heard of this before? There may be a variety of reasons. Can you guess what any of them might be?
Here is a news article about regrowing teeth, but it is a different method than electrical stimulation. If you can find a reference for me on the latter, please post it below.
My opinion is that coffee is far worse on your teeth than tea. Coffee is very, very acidic. It is probably more acidic than you would initially imagine. In fact, it is nearly as acidic as soda. And soda often contains phosphoric acid! So that should tell you something.
Tea is not nearly as acidic. Therefore, I would say that tea is better for your teeth than coffee.
Acid is bad for teeth because it can directly breakdown the tooth enamel. In addition, the 'bad bacteria' in our mouths love acid. It makes them multiply more rapidly. In turn, the greater amounts of 'bad bacteria' create even more acid as a waste byproduct.
You can probably imagine the potential for a loop that is not healthy for your body at all.
Fee free to ask a follow up question or ask for clarification in the comment section below this post.
I actually made this video quite some time ago and it has amassed several thousand views. When I listen to it, I realize that I did not filter out the "ums" and pauses etc. If I were to make that video today, I probably would have.
Never-The-Less the message in the video is quite valid today. It is a shame how many people end up with problems because they don't have a grasp of some very basic concepts.
Check Mouth pH
In order to give yourself a better understanding of what is happening in your mouth, it would be cool if you could get your hands on some pH testing strips. Your local pharmacy may or may not have them. You might have to hunt around a bit, but they are out there.
Spit onto a small dish and use the pH strip to test your saliva. Do NOT put the pH strips in your mouth - ever. Then drink something acidic, like an energy drink or -gasp- a cup of coffee. Afterwards, test your saliva's pH again.
Then, you can try the pH balancing mouthwash and see what effect it has. You can try all kinds of different things, such as chewing xylitol gum, then you can see the effects on the mouth's pH. Pretty soon, you will have a new awareness growing.
You mouth's saliva is designed to rebuild and strengthen your enamel. But, if has a really hard time doing that in an acidic environment.
Lifestyle changes are hard to pull off. In other words, it is not likely that you are going to stop drinking coffee, soda, energy drinks, and other similar things. Many foods are also acidic in the mouth, including those that people claim 'balance the pH of the body'. When it is in the mouth, if it is acidic, it is a potential problem.
*
I speak in general terms only on this site. Specific questions about
your unique dental health situation should be addressed by your doctor
or periodontist.
Flossing and Brushing Might Not Be Enough To Protect Your Teeth
That sounds like a strange question, doesn't it? There are many people who don't worry about their teeth at all. For example, many young people probably don't give their teeth a second thought.
Others have given up on their teeth. They know they have big problems but have no idea how to solve them and perhaps cannot afford the expensive solutions that are offered to them.
Or perhaps, a person just lacks the right knowledge and is frustrated for the lack of it.
Ultimately, it comes down to a simple question: Do you want to keep your teeth or do you not care?
Yes or No are BOTH valid answers. There is no 'right' answer. There is only YOUR answer.
Whichever answer you prefer is fine for you.
Why Did I Ask This Question?
I asked it because if the answer is: "Yes, my teeth are worth saving", then read on. If you answered no, then there is no point in spending any more time here. I want to save you some time if that is the case.
To me, saving teeth means keeping them for a lifetime of good service. Yes, people do have accidents. It is less frequent to lose a tooth due to a cavity. Far and away, the biggest cause of tooth loss is gum disease.
If you want to keep your teeth, that is the problem you need to focus on.
"Wait a minute," I hear you object. "I don't have gum disease." Yes, that is what the vast majority of people think and believe.
The reality is quite different. Dental professionals tell us that 3 out of every 4 people have gum disease. That is 75%.
However, as I mentioned before, very few of those people know they have it. No one has told them they have a problem, so everything must be ok, right?
Then one day, you are sitting in the dentist's chair and you get the news that you need gum surgery, you need a tooth pulled and an implant installed, a deep cleaning treatment - or some variation on this theme.
You freak out. "I'm going to lose a tooth".
The big question is, can this scenario be prevented?
The answer is, "Maybe". But in order to have hope, one must believe in Prevention!
A Little Stronger, Please?
Let me spell it out for you. If you are a non-dental professional, this may come as a shock. Most people are going to lose one or more teeth to gum disease and the majority have no idea this is going to happen to them.
If you don't believe me, ask any dental professional. They will break the bad news to you further.
But, maybe you can prevent it from happening.
Prevention Is The Key
As soon as I mention prevention, people think of brushing and flossing their teeth. Those activities are very important. If you have being doing them, great, keep doing it according to your doctor's instructions. If you haven't been brushing and flossing adequately, then it is time to start.
However, brushing and flossing are not enough for most people. (But it is for some).
The dangers are real and they are clear. The resources above can help to educate you and point you in the right direction.
The idea is to improve your odds of keeping your teeth and avoiding the costly treatments experienced during the process of losing and replacing them.
Think about this: It is not very often that you come across a dental office or periodontist's office waiting room that isn't full. What do you think all those people are doing there?
Some of the same principles that help to protect you and fight gum disease are the same ones that can help you to avoid cavities as well.
There are plenty of people willing to help you when you have a problem. They can replace your teeth, they can do all kinds of treatments.
But, only you have the power to do something at home. What you do, every day, at home is the most important thing when it comes to your dental health. There aren't many, if any, dental professionals that would disagree with that. You can find one to ask if you don't believe me.
* this site speaks in general terms only. For specific questions about your own unique dental health situation, be sure to ask your periodontist or dentist.
