Burton Dentist Issues Warning Over Acidic Drinks
A dentist from Burton has issued a warning over acidic drinks after seeing a significant increase in the number of patients coming in with signs of acid erosion. Acidic drinks such as fizzy pop and fruit juices wear the enamel, causing it to become thinner and weaker.
Owner of Measham Dental, Dr Sandra Ferreira, said that many patients who have worn enamel are completely unaware of the dangers of their diet. Many people consider fruit juice as a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks, but actually, the sugar content is usually high, and the drinks are acidic.
One patient, a 30-year old man who asked not to be named, suffered extensive decay because he was drinking up to four litres of fruit juice every day. At the time, he was in the army, and assumed that he was making healthy choices. He ate well, was very active and didn’t realise the potential damage he was doing to his teeth. He was involved in a car crash and spent several weeks in hospital. During this time, he didn’t brush his teeth for long periods and really noticed that his dental health had suffered when he came out. His teeth were incredibly sensitive, and he couldn’t eat because the pain was so bad. When he went to see Dr Ferreira four years later, she was shocked at the degree of damage and asked him straight away how much fruit juice he drank. It was clear from looking at the enamel that the quantities he was used to consuming had taken their toll on his teeth.
The patient required around ten hours of treatment in the dental chair. The deep decay had to be removed and the teeth filled to stem the spread of decay and build up strength in the teeth again.
Although Dr Ferreira highlighted this as an extreme case, she said that more and more people are coming to her with signs of damage directly linked to the consumption of fizzy drinks and juices. Her advice to patients is to cut down on sugary and acidic drinks, to drink through a straw and to try and stick to water, especially between meals.
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