Pueblo Dentist Health News: 8 Amazing Facts You Never Knew About Dentistry! Part 2

By Author: Michele Johnson
Total Articles: 40
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This three-part article series discusses eight interesting and little-known facts about oral health and healthcare. Advice is also provided on how to achieve better dental health.Welcome back to our three-part article series on interesting dental healthcare facts. In our previous installment, we discussed the shocking statistics of gum disease in the United States (80% of the population) and we exposed the truth about toothbrush caps and storage. In this article, the second installment of our Pueblo dental series, we shall take a look at the dangers of having a sweet tooth and how fluoride, which is lauded as essential to good oral health, can actually be quite dangerous!
Amazing Fact # 4: Three Glasses of Soda per Day = 62% Higher Incidence of Tooth Decay
Soda, pop, sports energy drinks and fruit juice all have two things in common: They’re packed with sugar and they’re very acidic. Bacteria loves sugar just a much as you do. To them, sugar is pure energy, which they use to multiply and proliferate. The more you eat, the faster the production of plaque ...
... in your mouth (plaque is bacteria).
To make matters worse, bacteria produce acidic wastes, which mingle with the acid in those fizzy beverages you love. The consequences for your teeth are a daily acid bath that corrodes away dental enamel, encourages cavity formation and tooth decay. This is why people who drink three or more glasses of sweet soda, juice or energy drinks per day suffer from 62% more decay and tooth loss.
What should I do instead?
The answer is simple: you’ll need to train yourself to enjoy water. Sweet beverages are okay if enjoyed as an occasional treat, but not as a daily thirst-quencher. Opt for mineral, spring or tap water. Water that is filtered not only has all the micro-organisms taken out of it, but also the essential elements and metals your teeth need to remain strong and health (fluoride, calcium and magnesium).
Amazing Fact # 5: The First Bristled Toothbrush Came from China!
We here in the West like to think that we pioneered the field of medicine and that it was our culture that was responsible for cultivating an appreciation of hygiene… but when our forefathers were dying of burst oral abscesses, the East were preventing infection by brushing their teeth!
The first bristled toothbrushes on record were manufactured in 1498 in China. The bristles themselves were made from the hairs of badgers, horses and hogs. While these early toothbrushes were not as technologically savvy as the ones we have today, they went a long way to prevent decay and infection simply by removing dental plaque. It was only in 1938 that the first commercial toothbrushes were manufactured and nowadays, they are an indispensible component of oral healthcare.
Amazing Fact # 6: New Born Babies Don’t Have Dangerous Oral Bacteria
Little babies are born without the kind of oral bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. Of course, they eventually will contract these bacteria and the sources of transmission are mommy and daddy! Kissing and blowing on food to cool it are the primary ways oral bacteria are passed from parent to child.
Stay Tuned for Part 3
To read more interesting facts and Pueblo dentists’ advice on oral health and healthcare, stay tuned for the third and final installment of this three-part articles series.