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I went my entire childhood and into early 20s before a new (to me) hygienist explained that most tooth decay is essentially an integral of PH level. The accumulation of how acidic your mouth is and for how long. They also explained that avoiding acidic foods and drinks is not enough, because bacteria that feeds on sugar produces an acidic byproduct. I adjusted my behavior based on that (consume way less sugar, and when having anything sugary or acidic, have it with hot water/tea/coffee) and my dental visits changed entirely since then.

by cole-k4 hours ago|

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Can I have more details about this? I also have been told I have an acidic mouth. One dentist straight up suggested drinking alkaline water and I couldn't tell if that was quackery but the science sort of checks out I guess.

by ram1500natrluvr4 hours ago|

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Try to build an understanding of which foods/drinks are acidic, and always have them with something that can wash your mouth out right away. Or reduce/stop having them.

Then also build an understanding of which foods/drinks are sugary, and similarly have them with something that can wash your mouth our right away, because sugary things sitting in your mouth makes your mouth acidic. Even more than acidic stuff, try to reduce how much you consume. In US grocery stores at least, it is incredible how much sugar is dumped into everything, and there seem to be general health benefits to reducing sugar intake.

I'm not sure how this applies to things that break down into sugar (carbs). I don't think they start breaking down until they're being digested, but I'm not positive on that.

But yea, overall it's fairly simple. Minimize the time your mouth is acidic based on what you eat and drink by washing it out soon after having anything that makes it acidic. If you have sticky stuff that doesn't dissolve or wash out easily, brush/floss afterwards. It's all about minimizing the duration.

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I have no idea if drinking alkaline water can help at all. Kinda makes sense? Hot water seems to do the trick for me though, just dissolve/wash out the sugars/acids. Anywhere alkaline water will reach, hot water will reach as well, and almost everyone has access to hot water.

by hirvi745 hours ago|

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I believe when medical professionals make comments like your dentist, what they are truly trying to say is that investigating the cause is likely a moot effort.

However, many patients would probably be even more dissatisfied with such an answer. Sadly, knowing the underlying cause of a condition does not always translate into a better treatment protocol or prognosis.