What's in the (sparkling) water?

I often get questions about sparkling waters, seltzers, and club sodas. Do they damage the teeth? Are they healthier to drink than soda? What about fruit-infused, fruit-added, or fruit-flavored water?

Seltzer

Sparkling water, seltzer and club soda differ only slightly from each other. Seltzers and club sodas are injected with carbon dioxide gas to make them bubbly, however, club soda also has minerals added. Sparkling water is naturally bubbly and has minerals that are naturally from that water source. Sparkling water and club soda may have sodium in small amounts. Usually, all three have zero calories. If "natural flavors" have been added that means the drink also contains fruit flavors, spices or oils.

The important thing to remember when it comes to tooth damage from drinks are the things that need to be present to cause damage in the first place: plaque germs, sugar and acid.

Although sparkling waters, club sodas and seltzers are healthier than sweetened colas and sodas, they are somewhat acidic compared to plain water. If fruit flavorings are added, the nutrition label should be checked for sugar. Plain water with fruit slices or juices added contain sugar and acid from the fruit. Brushing and flossing should be done daily to ensure that the mouth and teeth are as germ-free as possible. Brushing should not be done immediately after drinking an acidic drink. It is best to wait at least 30 minutes. 

The best drink for mouth and teeth health is plain water. If the water in your community is fluoridated, that's even better. If you need more pep in your drink, sparkling mineral water, seltzer, club soda or water with some added fruit slices, are healthier alternatives to sugar-sweetened sodas and other beverages like sweet teas or sports drinks.

(Don't make the mistake of grabbing tonic water! Tonic is sometimes used in cocktails. It contains quinine, which tastes bitter and was once used used as a medicine in higher concentrations. Tonic also contains sugars and is high in calories.)

What's your favorite bubbly?

Here's a link to a classic Seinfeld clip "I wanted seltzer, not salsa!": https://youtu.be/evYSwr_D8OU

For more on unhealthy and tooth friendly drinks check out some of my previous posts!
https://mydentalhygienist.blogspot.com/2016/04/soda-skip-it.html

https://mydentalhygienist.blogspot.com/2015/11/you-are-what-you-drink.html



This blog and posts are not intended to diagnose or treat and should not be taken as medical or dental advice. If something is bothering, say something. Your medical and dental professionals can help.

Take time to smell the floss

Many people who feel they take great care of their teeth still aren’t flossing or aren’t flossing every day. Not flossing between the teeth can result in cavities between the teeth and for those who already have fillings or caps, decay that returns.

Not flossing is like taking a shower and washing your face, but not washing your hair or ears. Just like your body would not feel properly cleaned, your teeth aren’t cleaned thoroughly if they aren’t flossed.

I have recently started asking my patients to up their flossing game. The suggestion I am now making may sound like an odd one, but it comes from the dental health presentations that I have given to tens of thousands of students of all ages:

Floss your teeth, then take the string or the floss pick and smell it. It will stink. There is nothing like that smell. 

If you find that you have smelly breath or a bad taste in your mouth even though you brush faithfully, you will now understand why and this practice will encourage you to continue to floss. 

Smell the floss - ym'18

If you haven’t flossed in a while, your gums will bleed and that can be very disturbing. Keep flossing. The bleeding will subside and eventually stop. The smell of those plaque germs on the floss, however, will be there every time reminding you to get those sticky, stinky germs out of your mouth. So my advice is take time to smell the floss. Your reward is healthy teeth and a beautiful smile.

What's New on the New Nutrition Labels

The New Nutrition Labels

What's new and what it means for your teeth

The nutrition label on packaged goods is changing to make it easier for people to understand the nutritional value of what they are eating and to be in line with current scientific knowledge.

This change, mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) reflects current research on what people actually eat or drink.

Food Serving Sizes Get a Reality Check, source: FDA.gov

For example, because people usually drink a can of sugar-sweetened soda in one sitting, the serving size of soda is being increased from 8 ounces to 12 ounces, the size of the can of soda. Twenty ounce bottles of sugar-sweetened beverages likewise will be considered only one serving. Other serving sizes will decrease. The serving size of yogurt, for instance, will decrease from 8 ounces to 6 ounces because data revealed that 6 ounces is the amount that someone typically eats in one serving. Any package that contains what might be considered one serving and could be eaten in one sitting must list the total amounts per package or have two labels, one per serving and one per package. (No more doing the math!)

Also changing are the nutrients that are listed. Some, like Vitamin A and C are being eliminated, while others, like Vitamin D and Potassium are now required. How fat is being listed is also changing. In addition to total fat, the type of fat is included.

Completely new to the label is a listing of added sugars. 

Obesity is a huge health problem. In the U.S. over 72 million adults and over 12 million children are obese. Not one State is within the national obesity rate health goal of less than 15%

Sugar is a major culprit. 

Added sugars should be no more than 10 percent of total calories. Any more than that prevents people from staying within daily calories limits and getting the valuable nutrients they need. There is no recommended amount of sugar in the diet and certainly no recommended amount of added sugar. Although sugar fuels our cells, our bodies make all that is needed by converting the food we eat into sugar. Additional sugar is simply not necessary in the diet.

Science has long known that the teeth are negatively affected by sugar as well. For good oral health the recommendation remains to eat whole fruits rather than juices and to strictly limit sugar sweetened beverages in the diet. Sugar along with plaque bacteria can cause cavities and sugar causes inflammation in the entire body, including the mouth.

Old label vs. New Label, source: FDA.gov

This change is a great way for everyone to monitor and cut down on sugar in their diets, should they care to do so. But changing the label in and of itself will do nothing unless people take personal responsibility for their own health and also learn how and what they should be eating.

Companies with packaged food and beverage sales over $10 million have until July of 2018 to start using the new labels and rules and smaller companies have an additional year. Be on the look-out for the new labels!

Are you reading nutrition labels to help make healthy food choices?

sources: www.cdc.gov; www.fda.gov

This blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition or illness. Please see your doctor or dentist for treatment and any health concerns.

Breast Cancer and Gum Disease

Yet another reason to care for your gums and teeth

There are 10 times as many germs in our bodies as there are cells. Not only do our bodies play host to a great variety of germs, germs interacting with our bodies can either help us or harm us. Researchers are continually studying the role germs play in causing chronic inflammation and how germs contribute to systemic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The association between cancer and germs is not new and has been studied for years. Bacteria that live in the mouth have been found in breast cancer tumors and studies have found that almost all women who have been treated for breast cancer have some form of gum disease. 

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease. In its early stages (gingivitis) it causes bleeding, puffy gums, and in the later stages tooth and bone loss (periodontitis.) Almost 50% of adults in our country who are over 30 and over two-thirds of adults over 65 have some degree of periodontitis. Breast cancer risk also increases as women age.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Gum disease &
breast cancer risk.
photo by YM

A new study reveals that postmenopausal women who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease by their dentists have a 14% higher risk of developing breast cancer. That number jumps to over 30% in women who have smoked within the past 20 years. Smoking is a huge contributing factor to periodontal disease and is also known to increase breast cancer risk. 

More research is needed to discover fully how bacteria contributes to diseases like breast cancer but enough evidence already exists to suggest that taking care of one's oral health pays off in better overall health.

For more on this recent breast cancer study visit: http://www.aacr.org/Newsroom/Pages/News-Release-Detail.aspx?ItemID=823#.VoQPn_krLIU

Source information: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-59322014001000706&script=sci_arttext;

http://www.aacr.org/Newsroom/Pages/News-Release-Detail.aspx?ItemID=823#.VoQPn_krLIU; http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2015/12/12/1055-9965.EPI-15-0750.abstract; http://cbcrp.org.164.seekdotnet.com/research/PageGrant.asp?grant_id=29509; https://www.perio.org/consumer/cdc-study.htm

This blog is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition. Please see you dentist or doctor if you aren't feeling well and take care of yourself!