Dentist Warning: These Everyday Habits Are Eroding Your Teeth

Introduction: Hidden Habits That Harm Teeth 0:00

Did you know some of the habits that you think are healthy may actually be harming your teeth and your overall health? Today I'm going to talk about five things I wish every patient would stop doing. And trust me, it's not just about cavities. So the first thing is to stop constant snacking. The issue is actually even less about what food you're snacking on and the fact that every single time you put food in your mouth, it increases the acid levels in your mouth.

Why Constant Snacking Damages Enamel 0:28

Now when there is more acid in the mouth, minerals in your teeth dissolve. So it really doesn't even matter what kind of food it is, It's going to increase that acidity and it's going to start dissolving your teeth. Now saliva comes to the rescue, bringing minerals in, helping to remineralize the tooth, helping to lower that acid level. But it takes about a half an hour to an hour for that saliva to come in and do its job. So the problems come when you put food in your mouth before that half an hour to an hour occurs.

So now you've dropped the acid level with your first snack. Saliva starts to work, but before it can do all of the good it does, you put more food in. You bring the acid level back up again. So the mouth never has time to recover from that acid attack. So what's best? Eat your snack. take a break. Even better, swish with some water in between, get the food out of the mouth, and then take a break. Allow the body, the saliva, the cells, the minerals to do their job before you raise the alarm and raise the acid again.

The second thing is to stop drinking healthy drinks that actually aren't. What might this include? Well, when it comes to tooth health, this is sparkling water, kombucha, sports drinks, juices. All of these things have something in common, and that is that they are acidic. So even sparkling water, if it has nothing else in it, carbonic acid creates the carbonation.

Acidic Drinks That Seem Healthy 2:04

And remember, it's called carbonic acid, which means it makes that water acidic. Kombucha is very acidic, as are juices, and some of the most acidic drinks on the market today are sports drinks and energy drinks. All of these things literally dissolve your teeth. But not just that. When they go down the hatch, they dissolve your bones too. It changes the acid pH balance in the mouth and in the body. And all of a sudden, your body is not as healthy as it could or should be. I had a patient that was really into kombucha.

She actually was brewing her own. She was feeling so good about it. And she came and I noticed something really odd about her teeth. they weren't shiny anymore. They kind of had a matte appearance to them, but not only that, they kind of looked a little scooped out on the front side. And I kept looking at them, and I knew her well, so I knew this wasn't just the way her teeth normally looked. I kept looking at them, and finally I said, what have you changed? Something's different, and it's not good for your teeth.

She scratched her head for a while, too. She said, well, nothing that I can think of. I eat the same. I'm working out the same. And then all of a sudden she said, wait, I've started making my own kombucha. And I drink it two, three times a day. She loved it. So that's when I had to stop and say, OK, I know there's a lot of health benefits with kombucha and the fermented benefits of the probiotics. All of those things are great. but we have to understand what we're putting into our bodies. When we're putting kombucha in, we're putting something that's actually very acidic.

When I drink it, it tastes like I'm drinking apple cider vinegar. It's very acidic. What does acid do on the teeth? It dissolves minerals. So all of these things, sparkling water, the sports drinks, the kombucha, the juices, all of these things have a high level of acid. They're very acidic, and they're dissolving your teeth. So am I saying you can't drink them at all? No. But please be conscious about it. What is it doing to your teeth? This person, she was appalled. She looked at her teeth herself, you know, in the mirror and said, I've noticed that they're different, but I had no idea what it was about.

So we started really wrapping up her minerals. We added hydroxyapatite and a tooth care product so she could put minerals on the outside. We added minerals on the inside. and she backed down her kombucha to one time a day and made sure she was adding back the minerals after drinking it. So just be aware of what you're doing.

Breathing Problems and Poor Sleep 4:39

These health fads, they're touted as one size fits all, fabulous for everybody, but you have to understand when and where they work and when and where they don't. Okay, number three is stop ignoring your breathing. What do I mean by that? Well, a lot of times people come to me and they say, I'm just not sleeping well, but it's just because of all of the things I have to do. I can't get my mind to stop spinning at night. And that's what I have to very gently tell them. Your mind is spinning because your body is getting pushed into a fight or flight mode.

And it's getting pushed into fight or flight mode because you're not getting the air you need for your body to be able to truly relax. So yes, your mind may be spinning while you're not sleeping, but that's not the reason you're not sleeping. The reason you're not sleeping is because you're not getting enough oxygen, which does not allow your body to say, Now it's time to go and rest and refresh and do all the cleanup work that I have to do while we're sleeping. It says, sorry, not enough oxygen.

You're going to have to stay awake because once all the muscles in this head and neck area relax, you can't get the oxygen you need to survive. So you're not going to. So it ramps up the adrenaline, the cortisol, your mind starts to spin and you can't figure out why in the morning you feel like trash. This is why. So don't ignore these signs. Don't write them off as just what my mind is. My mind is stressed out. I'm stressed out. I've got a lot going on. Go figure out, is this actually a breathing problem that's underlying all of it?

Number four, stop using harsh chemicals in your mouth. Oh my goodness, there is no reason that you have to use traditional tooth care products anymore.

Avoid Harsh Chemicals in Tooth Care 6:25

What am I talking about? Things like sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan in toothpastes. things like alcohol and mouthwash. You don't have to use these things anymore. There's so many alternatives. You can try my products. You can try other people's products. I don't really care what you use as long as it doesn't have these chemicals. Why? What do these chemicals do? Well, first of all, they kill all the good bugs in your mouth. That's no good. A lot of times they create a lot of sensitivities. We see gum inflammation and gut inflammation from these things.

We see gum and gut biomes thrown off because of these harsh chemicals. They're not doing what you hope they're doing. They're not cleaning and caring for you. They're actually creating more issues. So no reason to use any of those things anymore. Go find products that you can pronounce the ingredients in and that you know everything is there for a reason and it's to help you be healthier. The last thing, number five, is stop thinking that dentistry is only about teeth. As I've shared so many times, 60 to 80% of chronic disease is either caused by the mouth or related to the mouth in some way.

This is the dashboard for the rest of you. If there's issues going on here, it's the sign that there are issues elsewhere. And vice versa, if there are issues elsewhere, a lot of times we're gonna see them here first. Things like tooth decay, even though you know you're taking care of your teeth, sensitive teeth, a white tongue, geographic tongue,

Dentistry as a Window Into Whole-Body Health 7:54

which is patches moving around, kind of sore, bleeding gums, inflamed gums, all of these things are signs your body is sending you saying, wake up, there are issues that I need you to pay attention to. How do you figure out what these signs mean? Well, that's what health-based dentists are for, we're to help you. But also, go on, watch the videos here, subscribe, go onto the social channels. This is what I do all day long, every day, is simply teach you what your mouth is trying to tell you by the symptoms that it's expressing.

Pay attention, dentistry is not just about the teeth, because if you have never noticed, your teeth are connected to the rest of you. All right, let's recap. What are the five things I hope you stop doing today? Number one, snacking frequently. Number two, drinking what you think are healthy drinks that are actually eroding your teeth. Number three, ignoring your breathing, sleeping issues, blaming them on something else when really it's all about whether you're getting enough air. Number four, using harsh chemicals and tooth care products.

No need ever again. Number five, thinking the dentistry is only about the teeth. If you want to know more about all that I've shared here today, please subscribe. Please go join us on our social channels and just learn more. I am here to help you learn how your mouth connects with the rest of you and how you can live well every single day.