Dental Cleaning: Beating the Sugar that Causes Cavities

At Pearl Boutique, we offer dental cleaning in Vancouver. You’ve probably heard that when it comes to dental health, sugar is the enemy. It erodes your enamel, leading to tooth decay aka cavities. But have you ever actually wondered HOW this happens?

In your mouth are many types of bacteria—such as Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sorbrinus. Sugar acts like a magnet for these destructive bacteria, which feed off the sweet deposits and form dental plaque—a rather gross, sticky film that forms on the surface of your teeth. This plaque causes the environment in your mouth to becomes more acidic, to the point where it starts to destroy minerals, including the enamel that protects your teeth. Once this happens, small holes form in the tooth. These grow in size, gradually merging with each other to form one large cavity.

Brushing, gargling, and even your own saliva helps clear away the sugar that allows the bacteria to feed and thrive. A regularly scheduled dental cleaning will also help get rid of the hardened plaque deposits on your teeth. Together, good oral hygiene and regular dental cleanings can keep your teeth healthy and strong for a lifetime.

How Often Should You Schedule Dental Cleaning?

Once a year? Twice a year? What’s the right amount? It really comes down to your personal habits and diet. Diet is a huge factor in tooth decay. Given what we know about how plaque forms, it should be no surprise to learn that frequently consuming sugary foods and drinks increases your chances of developing cavities. The more often your teeth are exposed to sugar, the more plaque is likely to form—and that leads to tooth decay.

Acidic beverages are another culprit. Bubbly soft drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks not only contain sugar, they all also contain acids harmful to your enamel. In Finland, a large study concluded that drinking 1-2 sugar-sweetened beverages a day increased your chances of developing cavities by almost 31%.

As we mentioned, daily brushing and rinsing can help removed sugars and plaque from the mouth, but only if you’re diligent. You should be brushing at least twice a day and flossing once to reach the plaque nestled between teeth and in hard-to-reach crevices.

If you’re good about oral hygiene (you know who you are), scheduling a dental cleaning once a year should be adequate. On the other hand, if you brush once a day, seldom floss, and have a diet that consists of a lot of sugary/refined foods, scheduling dental cleaning twice a year may be a good idea. Your dental hygienist will be able to clean up your teeth and remove the hardened plaque deposits to keep your teeth sparkling and strong!

Ready for professional teeth whitening and dental cleaning in Vancouver? Schedule a visit! Because dental cleaning costs less when done in an independent office, our fees are about 30% less than the BC Dental Association’s fee guide. We accept dental insurance and take an additional 10% off for those who aren’t insured. Book now online or call 604-620-9901.

We can’t wait to see you—and that’s the tooth.