Maintaining Optimal Oral PH

Having healthy teeth and a bright smile is a significant priority for many people. To keep your teeth at an optimal, healthy pH level, it is essential to know what foods can lead to tooth decay and how to reduce acidity in your mouth to fight off plaque and bacteria that cause cavities. Many contributing factors to tooth decay include diet and lifestyle, which can be easily changed to promote healthier teeth and maintain a brilliant smile. Adopting new eating habits can have a considerable effect on your oral pH levels.

Highly Acidic Food and Drinks

An essential step toward tooth decay prevention is being aware of what foods are potentially sabotaging your attempts to achieve healthy teeth. Consuming foods high in acidity causes weakened tooth enamel, leading to tooth decay and other adverse side effects. Some examples of food and beverages that are highly acidic include:

• Coffee or tea, especially if they are sweetened
• Soda and lemonade
• Sticky snacks, such as raisins or chewy candies
• Sugars
• Tomato products
• Any foods that stick to your teeth after eating them, such as potato chips

How to Reduce Acidity

Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing are excellent habits to achieve an ideal oral pH level, but they not usually enough to tackle all the acidity that is causing bacteria and plaque. Prevention procedures conducted in Dr. Tomazin’s office can help eliminate a significant amount of acid to help combat bacteria and other concerns that lead to tooth decay. Some behaviors should be avoided while others are healthy options that will assist in lowering acid levels in your mouth for an overall balanced pH.

Behaviors That Can Hinder PH Levels

• Between-meal snacking can expose teeth to acids that lead to damage, so limiting this habit can help reduce exposure to harmful acid levels.
• Cake, candy, cookies, crackers, french fries, mints, muffins, pretzels, raisins, and other dried fruits contain a lot of sugar, which increases acid levels. Eating a diet high in sugar will expose teeth to significant levels of acid.

Foods That Are Beneficial for PH Levels

• Cheese, chicken, nuts, and dairy products can protect tooth enamel due to their acid-counteracting qualities. Calcium and phosphorus found in these items also help protect teeth.
• Choose beans, fish, nuts, and seeds as your primary sources of protein, as they are less acidic than other protein sources.
• Consume a variety of vegetables (especially dark, leafy greens and orange vegetables) for a balanced pH level.
• Drink any coffee or sweet drinks quickly through a straw with your meal, if you are not able to remove them from your diet.
• Eat plenty of fruits, such as apples and pears, as part of a healthy diet. Fruits with a high water content can stimulate saliva which helps protect against tooth decay because of its antibacterial properties.
• Opt for whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, etc.) over processed grains, such as white bread.

It is essential to brush your teeth after every meal to remove plaque buildup and bacteria that can damage teeth. Drinking plenty of water with meals, eating any high acidity or sugary snacks with food, reducing coffee, alcohol, and soda intake, and chewing sugarless gum between meals can also help lower the level of acidity in your mouth. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and routine check-ups with your dentist can help prevent tooth decay and protect your smile from damaging acid.

Your dental health is important to us, so please reach out to learn more about tooth decay prevention and your oral pH levels by filling out our online contact form today.

Biological Dentistry

The naturally occurring acidity levels in your mouth are the main contributing factor that leads to tooth decay. The more acidic your mouth is, the more cavities you are likely to develop. Maintaining your overall health begins with a healthy mouth. Our I.E. Dental team approaches oral health using the least toxic techniques available through biological dentistry. Because we consider the impact that dental practices can have on your body, all of our actions and tools are biocompatible choices made with your health in mind. We continuously improve our technology with the most advanced options to treat every patient safely and efficiently.

Potentially Harmful Materials

In the past, dental practices often worked with materials that were later found to be unsafe. Older materials, such as mercury amalgam fillings, that are potentially toxic can be removed and replaced with a safer material. Dr. Tomazin is SMART (safe mercury amalgam removal technique) certified by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).  These removal techniques focus on preventing additional exposure to these substances during extraction. Swishing fluoride in your mouth is a treatment that can be replaced with acidity-reducing techniques to help reduce tooth decay while avoiding fluoride exposure.

Newer Treatments

Using advanced technology, Dr. Chad Tomazin can treat gum disease, cavities, and other dental concerns using proven, effective techniques that do not require harmful materials.

Oxygen-ozone

Activated oxygen-ozone is an effective approach to oxidizing and destroying bacteria in the mouth while also reducing bacteria colonization. By combining three oxygen molecules, instead of the two oxygen molecules that comprise the air we breathe, it creates a highly antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal component that eliminates bacteria and disinfects the treated areas.

VELscope®

Detecting any traces of cancerous tissue is important for treating oral cancers. VELscope® provides access to clearly view tissues in the mouth, allowing detection of cancer or tissue abnormalities immediately to prevent issues in the future.

Tips for Increased Oral Health and pH

It is recommended that patients schedule a dental appointment every six months, and more frequently if you have a dental concern or tooth discomfort. Children should also begin this routine at two or three years old, and parents should schedule their initial appointment as early as when their first tooth appears. Switching to an electric toothbrush removes more plaque and bacteria than traditional manual toothbrushes, which can help slow down the tooth decay process. Brushing after every meal, drinking water while you eat, chewing sugarless gum, and reducing acidic beverage consumption can all help to lower your mouth acidity level. Additional tips to help you achieve a healthier mouth can be found on our tips for a healthy mouth page.

To learn more about your oral pH levels and to schedule an appointment, call our office at (951) 686-3666 today.