As we rush out the door to the spin class of ours or maybe walk clutching our sports drink – have we stopped as well as given the teeth of ours a thought? Probably not. Our teeth are taking a hammering in the attempts of ours to be healthy and fit. Do we really need those sports drinks?
Every time we snack or sip on our sports drink we are feeding not only ourselves although bacteria in the mouth of ours. These bacteria produce acid that reduces the pH in our mouth and saliva. The drinks usually also contain acid for flavouring adding to the acid issue. As the mouth of ours becomes more acidic the mineral of the teeth of ours starts to dissolve. Carry on doing this and then we begin to see small demineralised white patches develop on the teeth of ours. Carry on and also the white patches become holes and we’d like the trot off to the dentist for a fix up.
So how’s it then that we don’t frequently get holes in the teeth of ours with eating? Our body has a built in recovery measure – saliva. Saliva returns the lost nutrients to our teeth following an acid attack. Antibacterial factors found in the saliva help preserve the plaque levels under control, but only to a certain level. Saliva also neutralizes the acid after eating; however this is going to take time, around about 2 many hours to get back to a level in which additional deterioration does not appear.
Returned to the spin class also we are sipping away on the sports drink of ours, bad breath causes (Click at Tacomadailyindex) complete the class and carry on house with the bottle of ours continually sipping to counteract dehydration. Nice concept on the dehydration front, but terrible on the tooth front. The teeth of ours have now been subjected to large volumes of acid without giving the mouth of ours an opportunity to recover. This becomes much more of a problem in athletes who are also eating regularly for energy while training. for this reason not simply are we adding acid and sugar, but our saliva levels are usually compromised due to currently being dehydrated, so double whammy for the tooth.
Do we require sports drinks?
If you’re training for less than 1- 1.5 hours, then no, you do not require a sports drink. So exchange the sports drink for only water and you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor. Additionally you do not have to have a sports drink (or perhaps some flavoured beverage) to just wander around with through the day sipping on. This is resulting in an enormous surge in tooth decay levels. In case you feel you should have flavoured water and then sit down, drink it and then move on. Do not wander around sipping – you are continually exposing yourself to increased acid levels.
In case you’re training for more than 1-1.5 working hours in a session, and then yes, consider a sports drink. But how then do we protect the teeth of ours now knowing the dangers of continuous exposure to acid.
1. Always brush and floss your teeth before exercising – this will get rid of the quantity of plaque as well as bacteria present as a kick off point.
2. Drink and eat as instructed during the training session.
3. Finish with a drink of plain water to rehydrate fast and also start neutralising the acid level. Also think about a sugar totally free chewing gum to stimulate saliva flow.
4. If you need to eat after training think about having a dairy product, particularly some cheese to help prevent tooth decay.
5. Avoid brushing the teeth of yours soon after exercising, the enamel is softer after the acid attack and brushing can eliminate tiny quantities of this softened enamel. Leave it for around half an hour before brushing.
6. Ensure you are brushing and flossing regularly – at least twice 1 day.
7. Have routine dental check ups and hygiene appointments.
8. Consider a few items such as a Savacol mouthwash (no a lot more than once weekly), a fluoride mouthwash and also a calcium item such as Tooth Moose (available from dentists) to make bacteria levels in check and add mineral to your teeth.