You can’t live with it, you can’t live without it. We need sugars for energy, but which sugars are good for us and which can we do without?
The Five Sugars That Hurt Your Teeth
Sucrose – or table sugar. It is a sugar made up of glucose and fructose. It is the sweetest form of sugar that we see in candy, sugar cane, sugar beets, and maple trees.
Sucrose is horrible for our teeth because the bacteria in our mouths converts it into the glue that holds plague onto our teeth and makes it harder to remove the plaque when brushing and flossing.
Fructose – Fructose is the main sugar found in fruit, berries, melons, corn, and root vegetables. As a fruit its great, but when concentrated high fructose corn syrup and can cause a great deal of harm to our teeth, think soda pop.
Glucose – The body breaks down all sugars into glucose. While glucose is harmful to your teeth, it is the main sugar found in your body. The sugar in wine is glucose and you can get excited because its much better for you than fructose and sucrose!
Lactose –It is found in many dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. Although lactose isn’t very sweet, it can still be broken down by the bacteria on your teeth to produce acid.
Maltose – Maltose is the sugar that is found in grains such as bread, rice, pasta, and cereal. It can also be found in drinks that are made from grains, like beer. Beer is made up of two glucose molecules hooked together that are acidic enough to dissolve our teeth.
At the end of the day, moderation is key with everything! Be sure to rinse your mouth after eating any sugar and reduce the frequency where possible. For more tips and recommendations book an appointment to talk to us at ToothMatters!
– Dr. Richard Gao