Health
CAVITIES
Children are cavity magnets, but so are adults. "As we grow older, we might actually be more prone to tooth decay," says Richard Price, DDS, a consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. What's worse, age, and the gum recession that accompanies it, puts us at risk of a variation called "root cavities." "When the gum pulls back, a bit of root is exposed," explains Dr. Price. The root's only protection is cementum, a soft coating that's no match for the bacteria that cause cavities.
Commandeer the cheese cart. A quick refresher:Eating sweets causes the pH level of your saliva to plummet, transforming plaque into tooth-dissolving acid. But follow cheesecake withcheese and your pH level will stay steady. A study review published in Nutrition Reviews that looked at the pH-boosting proper--ties of 12 cheeses shows that while provolone is pretty good, Cheddar's better. In fact, aged Cheddar, Gouda, Mon-terey Jack, and mozzarella raised pH levels highest. And one bite is all you need; the study subjects ate less than a quarter ounce.
Eat for two. Someone move your cheese? Finish your dinner before you dive into dessert. As you eat a meal, the plaque on your teeth absorbs some of the fat, fiber, and protein of the food, filling up space that would otherwise be occupied by sugar. "If the plaque is saturated with the food you just ate, the sugar you eat afterward can't sink in," says Dr. Price. Same rule goes for any other time you're sizing up a sweet snack: Try to eat a little real food first and you'll block out the sugar that follows.
TARTAR
We aren't talking fish sauce. Tartar is a special kind of crud that's created when excess calcium in your saliva combines with plaque. The result is a brownish-yellow deposit above the gum line that provides a microscopic toehold for even more bacteria.
Waste it with paste. Fluoride fights cavities, but it can't touch tartar. For that, you need a toothpaste containing pyrophosphate, a chemical that disrupts the calcification process. Start using a tartar-control toothpaste now and your dental hygienist will do less scraping later. And in case you're tempted to stick with your regular toothpaste and just use a tartar-control mouthwash, consider this: "One place that mouthwash does not clean is where the teeth touch each other," says Dr. Price.
Get small. "You see your biggest tartar buildup where the saliva ducts enter the mouth," says Dr. Price. "It's like a river laying down silt." Unfortunately, these hot spots—the backs of your lower front teeth and the outer sides of your top molars—are difficult to reach with a full-size toothbrush. Choose one with a small head. And when you tackle the backs of your lower front teeth, turn the brush per-pendicular to the floor, then scrub up and down.
» Health archive
Men's Health Philippines - October 2005 Issue
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisement
|
