Smile in a Million: How Water Helps Make Teeth Healthy

Why does tooth decay appear?

— There is so much information on dentistry now that it is difficult to figure out where the myths are and where the scientifically based position is. Is it true that mineral water affects dental health?

– I would specify: the mineral composition of water can determine the health in the oral cavity. Regular use of this “correct water” has been observed to reduce the risk of dental diseases.

 – Why does caries occur at all? How to minimize risks for yourself and your loved ones?

 – If we have eaten, but did not have time to brush our teeth, food particles remain on the surface. Attached to the enamel of the tooth, they form a kind of very comfortable pillow in the form of a soft plaque, on which microbes native to our flora, roaming in the oral cavity, “sit down” to eat. Having eaten enough, microbes, like all living things, are forced to leave behind waste products. If you want to laugh, simplistically you can say that microbes also piss and poop! It is just “feces” (and this is a highly acidic environment) and cause a shift in the acid-base balance towards a sharply acidic environment. And then chemical laws come into play. A tooth immersed in an acidic environment loses its mineral composition.

— Can a tooth be compared to a crystal?

 – Very simplistic – yes. Tooth enamel is 98 percent composed of calcium hydroxyapatite minerals, so the acidic environment includes the mechanism of demineralization – the loss of minerals from its surface. The enamel is destroyed, a gap is formed, which is defined as a carious process.

How to properly care for your teeth

— How to get rid of pests?

– Brush your teeth after meals with a toothpaste and brush two to three times a day. A variety of hygiene products for the care of the oral cavity today on the shelves of an incredible variety.

— It happens that a person has been brushing his teeth since childhood, observing hygiene, but caries still appears. Why is this happening?

– Oral hygiene is only one aspect of a huge problem. Brushing your teeth helps to remove soft plaque – the very pillow on which our microbes lay to eat. However, a tooth is an organ. The same as the liver, kidneys and others in the body system. It comes into contact not only with saliva from the outside, but also with blood from the inside. Inside it passes the pulp (neurovascular bundle), which feeds the tooth with minerals from the blood.

— It turns out that the tooth is conditionally washed by two body fluids at once – blood and saliva? And from both environments, he seeks to take the building material for enamel – minerals.

– Quite right. The tooth is capable not only of demineralization (loss of minerals), but also of remineralization (replenishment of the enamel with minerals). Professional methods of caries prevention are based on this.

Pastes and more

— What is the best way to nourish teeth with minerals?

– Firstly, modern personal hygiene products for oral cavity care are supplied with a mineral component (pastes, rinses). External nourishment of tooth enamel is carried out due to the contained in these products, for example, calcium minerals. For children and adolescents under 14 years of age, it is best to recommend rinsing with fluoride after brushing, since fluoride is an active substitute for calcium during the formation of tooth enamel. Natural mineral waters, for example, “Bilinska Kiselka”, are quite suitable for these purposes. After 14 years, it is proposed to use only pastes and rinses with calcium, since fluorine no longer has any constructive effect under the conditions of the formed enamel. For rinsing, you can use high mineralization water “Zayechitskaya Gorky”, which contains calcium.

Secondly, from the internal environment (from the blood side), one can also count on the supply of minerals to the tooth enamel. Here, caries should be prevented by controlling the intake of minerals from food and water.

— But how do you know what the exact ratio of minerals in the body is?

– The problem should be considered comprehensively, taking into account individual indicators, health index, endocrinological picture and other things. One of the simplest preventive measures in the anti-caries program can be, say, the consumption of mineral waters. Of course, it is better to consult with a specialist which mineral water is most suitable for you.

— Can mineral water act as a preventive agent in dental health?

– In the second half of the twentieth century, research was carried out, dissertations were defended on the effect of mineral waters on the body in general and on dental health in particular. Water of different mineral compositions is actively used both in medicine in general and in dental practice. Today, the understanding of the importance of the influence of mineral waters on general somatic health has somewhat receded into the shadows and has lost its former popularity, but this does not remove the importance of waters.

At the same time, it is not necessary to go to the waters, water from anywhere in the world can be on your table in a few hours in a bottled form. Various mineral composition, with and without gas.

— How does mineral water affect teeth?

– The process is very complicated, but its logic is exactly the same as in the exchange of minerals from saliva. A tooth in a slightly alkaline environment is normal, thanks to chemical processes, it can replenish the lost calcium ions from both saliva and blood. The tooth will not take extra minerals, only what it needs. Of course, if there is a sufficient content of ions necessary for the body in the blood or saliva. Regular oral hygiene, mineralization through the consumption of drinking mineral water (as well as rinsing with them) – the prevention of caries in various ways can contribute to dental health and longevity.