The pH Series Videos
SENSITIVE TEETH
Most people are aware that sugar is really bad for your teeth. What most people don't know is that the reason that sugar is so bad is because the bugs that live on our teeth actually eat the sugar and poop it out as acid! It is the acid poop that does all the damage to our teeth!
For this reason, foods and drinks that we put into our mouths have a very destructive effect on our teeth.
Acids cause holes in our teeth and strip the tooth of its building blocks (think eroding away the outer layers of your teeth).
The longer the acidic food and drink are in contact with our teeth, and the more acidic they are, the more damage they're causing.
Acidity is measured as pH. The pH scale goes from 1 to14. A pH of 7 is neutral, and a pH less than 7 is considered acidic.
The magic pH for enamel is 5.5. If the pH of whatever we put into our mouth is less than pH 5.5, it causes the building blocks of the enamel (think calcium, fluoride, phosphates etc.) to be sucked out. What helps the building blocks go back in to the tooth are saliva, and boosters like fluoride in water and toothpaste.
It is really hard to find information of the pH of what we eat and drink! Unlike sugar, it is not required to be on the label of foods and beverages! For this reason, we have created these videos so you can see if the food and drink you love is damaging your teeth! If there are any foods or drinks that have been sneakily causing your teeth damage, the videos will give you tips on how best to keep enjoying them, and minimise the damage to your mouth!
View the videos on erosion and pH we have made:
1. Is Soda Water Bad for Your Teeth?!
2. Is Orange Juice Bad for Your Teeth?
3. Dentist answers: Is Red or White Wine Better for Your Teeth?
Inspiration for Dental Videos and the pH Series
Your Teeth - Acid vs Sugar
Video Transcript:
Hi guys, I wanted to talk about my inspiration behind doing these educational videos and especially the pH series which is what sparked everything off.
I have this really lovely patient, and he came in and was complaining that he had so much sensitivity that it was uncomfortable to eat and drink. I had a look and in the examination, I could see that he had a lot of acid erosion damage. His teeth were really really thin in the enamel and in some areas the enamel was completely worn out and eroded away and the inner dentine structure of the tooth was exposed. That was why he was having so much sensitivity because all that protective mineral was being eroded away. We got to chatting and he has a very very healthy lifestyle, he eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, and I could see when I did the exam that there was hardly any plaque on his teeth so his hygiene was really really great as well. He ahs a lot of citrus trees, so he had so much fruit.. he didn't want to waste it and he was drinking orange juice all day long because it's so good for you. Yes orange juice is great for you.. it has a lot of vitamins and minerals, but it is not good for your teeth.
So he was so shocked by the damage that could be caused by acid, that he went home and got a little pH testing kit so he could test all his other fruits and see what the pH was for them.. so he knew what he was drinking. He inspired me because I thought 'he's a really educated guy, everyone knows about sugar, but he didn't know about acid.. so maybe other people don't know about acid.'
So I went and bought my own little electronic tester, so I could help educate people and let everybody know what the acid content is of really popular healthy drinks and that way you're more informed about safe ways to consume it.. so there you go.
Shout out to my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Chua for sparking my love of chemistry and titrations.. ok thanks Mr. Chua.