Introduction
Soda beverages are categorized as soft drinks. A soft drink has an insignificant amount of alcohol, contrasted to wines. Soda beverages are usually fizzy and often consumed whereas refrigerated and or at room warmth. This drink is acidic and may boast a pH value of 3.0 or lower. Tooth decay is also technically known as dental caries and is a leading health grievance around the globe. The frequency is however declining among communities whose water is fluorinated or where they use toothpaste that has fluoride (Macnair 1). This paper will seek to establish if soda beverages cause tooth decay, the age group it is popular in, how this happens and how to prevent it.
Tooth decay is predominantly widespread among children and adolescent adults, the prevalence has been stimulated by the rise of sugars in their diet and poor dental hygiene.
Children are frequently snacking and often pick soda beverages over healthy foods like fruits. Taking acidic beverages over a prolonged phase of time and the constant sipping can corrode the tooth enamel. Dentists recommend that people utilize straws to take soda beverages as this ensures the drink and the person’s teeth have minimum contact. One should not brush their teeth immediately after taking soft drinks as this can cause additional erosion of the teeth owing to the prevalence of acid.
Clammy deposits called plaques collect, in specific, around the gum row, the fillings and the ridged surfaces of the teeth are the cause of tooth decay. Plaque consists of sugar debris, saliva and microbes that are usually in the mouth, and change foodstuff into acids.
If one, does not brush and clean their teeth regularly and well, the plaque piles with time, resulting in tartar. The acids found in both the tartar and the plaque, corrode the protective, tough enamel that coats teeth. The result is often holes, which are referred to as cavities. These usually take a number of months or even sometimes years to develop (Macnair 1). Cavities tend to cause no discomfort or pain, but instead grow into very large sizes, and spoil the softer interior structures of the tooth.
Soda beverages are rich in sugar and starch hence raising the danger of tooth decay, and clammy foods can be a finicky predicament, as they will more likely stick on the plane of the teeth. In the lack of high-quality oral hygiene, it takes not very long for decay to start. The tooth’s enamel is often under assault from the acids created that are the results of food being broken down.
A person suffering from caries may be unaware of the infection (Cavities/tooth decay 2008). The first sign of a fresh carious abrasion is the appearance of a chalky ashen blemish on the tooth’s surface, showing a region of demineralization of the enamel. This is called incipient decay. The tooth’s blemish soon develops into a brown that grows into a full-blown cavity. Prior to the cavity formation, the process can be reversed, but after it forms, the affected tooth composition cannot be saved. The most probable symptom of an active cavity is the browning of a specific spot. Pain is often felt if the decay goes through the tooth’s tubule; through the nerves. Exposure to extreme temperatures of either hot or cold, or to sweetened foods and beverages, makes the pain worse. Fetid tastes and bad breath may be a result of these dental caries. In extremely developed cases, the infection spreads from the tooth to adjacent delicate tissues. Complications from caries can pose danger to an individual’s life.
Preventive measures and modes of treatment
It is said that prevention is better than cure. Oral hygiene, like correct brushing of the teeth, gum and the mouth as a whole and daily flossing of teeth, is advised (Cleaning Your Teeth and Gums (Oral Hygiene) 2010). Oral hygiene minimizes any etiologic agents of decay in the mouth as they remove and prevent plaque formation on the teeth surfaces. If used correctly, dental floss gets rid of plaque from ridged areas that are easily attacked proximal caries if left dirty. Oral hygiene is best suited in gum disease prevention as opposed to tooth decay.
Dental examinations and complete mouth cleaning entail what one should go to a dentist for. Complete diet change is also a preventive measure that can help keep tooth decay at bay. Therefore, maintaining snacking at a minimum is highly recommended. Concerning children, dental associations and Paediatric Dentistry recommend limiting the frequency of consumption of drinks with sugar.
Children should be encouraged to take foods rich in calcium, such as milk as they are recommended in the prevention of dental caries. Fluoride, also found is present in the mentioned foods and helps avoid tooth decay by settling on the crystals in enamel. Destroyed tooth structure does not fully restore, although the re-mineralization of small carious abrasions can happen if dental hygiene is optimized (Tooth decay in Children 2009).
In general, timely treatment is definitely less painful and cheaper than treatment of widespread decay. This is a form of treatment for tooth decay.
The complete removal of the affected tooth also serves as the treatment for dental caries. This is done when the tooth is too damaged due to the decay process to successfully reinstate the tooth.
Conclusion
Teeth should be well taken care of, because they do not heal once they decay. They can only be removed and replaced with artificial teeth, which are not as good as natural ones. Proper dental hygiene and the consumption of nutritious foods should be encouraged among children.
Works cited
Cavities/tooth decay. 2008. Mayo Clinic.com. Web.
Cleaning Your Teeth and Gums (Oral Hygiene). 2010. American Dental Association. Web.
Macnair, Trisha. 2009. Tooth decay. Web.
Tooth decay in Children. 2009. ayushveda Health and lifestyle. Web.