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When most patients ask Dr. Andrew Nalin this question, they're thinking strictly about sugar content — cut out the bacteria-feeding sugar that's present in regular soda by opting for a diet soda and it will be better for your teeth. That seems logical, right? Well, there's a bit more to it than that. Let's take a closer look at how any kind of soda can affect your dental health.

Diet Soda – Why it can also lead to tooth decay

The main culprit in these drinks that leads to decay is the acid content. Diet sodas and other sugar-free drinks are usually highly acidic, which weakens the enamel on your teeth and makes them more susceptible to cavities and dental erosion. The level of phosphoric acid, citric acid, and/or tartaric acid is usually high in sugar-free drinks so it's best to avoid them.

Some patients also enjoy drinking orange juice or other citrus juices. These drinks are high in citric acid and have the same effect on the enamel of your teeth.

So what about regular soda?

We know the acidity of diet sodas and sugar-free drinks contributes to tooth decay, so what about regular soda? Like we alluded to earlier, regular soda is high in sugar — a 12 ounce can contains roughly ten teaspoons of sugar — and sugar feeds the decay-causing bacteria in the mouth. This also includes sports drinks and energy drinks, which are highly acidic and loaded with sugar too. So these drinks are a double-whammy of sugar and acidity your teeth and body simply don't need.

The problems caused by both diet and regular soda is exacerbated when you sip on them throughout the day. If you drink it all in one sitting, you won't be washing sugar and/or acids over your teeth all day long and your saliva will have a chance to neutralize the pH in your mouth.

The best beverages to drink and how to drink them

Drinking beverages that are lower in acid is a good step to take to keep your enamel strong. According to a study conducted by Matthew M. Rodgers and J. Anthony von Fraunhofer at the University of Michigan, your best bets are plain water, black tea or coffee, and if you opt for a soda, root beer. These drinks dissolved the least amount of enamel when measured 14 days after consumption of the beverage.

If you still choose to drink soda, diet soda, sugar-free drinks, or juices here are some other tips to lessen tooth decay:

• Drink your soda or acidic beverages through a straw to minimize contact with teeth
• Rinse with water immediately after consumption of the beverage
• Avoid brushing your teeth between 30 minutes to an hour after drinking the beverage as this has been shown to spread the acids before your saliva can bring your mouth back to a neutral pH
• Avoid drinks that have acids listed on the ingredients label

Still have questions about soda, sugar, and acid? Give our Mount Vernon, WA office a call and we’d be happy to help!

Braces and aligners help straighten teeth and create a confident, attractive smile. And those visible benefits are amazing! But orthodontic treatment has an even more important purpose than transforming the appearance of your smile—and that’s protecting and improving your oral health. 

If you’re ready for orthodontic treatment, you know you can look forward to a future of beaming smiles. You can also look forward to healthier teeth and gums and a more comfortable and functional bite. For some people, orthodontic treatment can make speaking and eating easier, and could even contribute to a better night’s sleep.

How can orthodontic treatment from Dr. Andrew Nalin accomplish these goals? Let’s set the record straight!

Protecting Tooth and Gum Health

• Lowering Your Risk of Cavities

Perfectly aligned teeth are considered aesthetically pleasing, but there’s a more practical reason to appreciate straight teeth. Crooked and overlapping teeth make it easier for food particles and plaque to stick in between the teeth and harder for your brush to remove them. Straight teeth allow you to remove cavity-causing plaque more effectively and with less effort.

• Promoting Healthy Gums

When plaque and tartar build up around the gums, the gum tissue becomes irritated, which is the first stage of gum disease. When teeth are straight and evenly spaced, brushing and flossing are easier and more effective, and your gums reap the benefits.

Creating a More Functional and Comfortable Bite

A malocclusion occurs when the teeth and jaws aren’t properly aligned—they don’t fit together the way they should when you close your mouth. There are different types of bite problems, and these can impact both your oral health and your overall health depending on the type and the severity of the malocclusion. Once a malocclusion is corrected, patients can experience:

• Stronger Teeth and Healthier Gums

Teeth and jaws which don’t fit together properly put extra pressure on your teeth and gums, leading to problems such as worn enamel, cracked teeth, and gum recession. Protect your oral health by creating a well-aligned bite.

• A Pain-Free Bite

Left untreated, malocclusions can cause problems like temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), headaches, face and neck pain, earaches, limited jaw movement, and painful chewing. Correcting your bite will protect your temporomandibular joint from harm and will relieve the discomfort and pain caused by a malocclusion. 

Other Possible Benefits of Treatment

For those with more serious malocclusions, orthodontic treatment might improve daily life in unexpected ways:

• Improved Speech

It takes a lot of coordination to produce different sounds. The lips, the tongue, the alveolar ridge which holds our teeth, the hard and soft palates, parts of the throat, and, yes, the teeth all play a part in creating speech. Some kinds of malocclusions contribute to speech disorders such as lisps, which orthodontic treatment can help correct.

• Improved Digestion

Digestion starts in the mouth, not the stomach! As we chew, we break down our food into particles which are easier for the stomach to digest. If you can’t chew properly because your teeth are misaligned or a bad bite makes it too painful to chew food as thoroughly as you should, you won’t be getting the full nutritional benefits of your healthy diet. Orthodontic treatment helps you bite down painlessly and break down foods easily for better digestion.

• Improved Sleep

Bite problems can sometimes lead to sleepless nights. More serious malocclusions may cause mouth breathing, which, in turn, can affect the quality of your sleep. If you’re having trouble sleeping, a sleep specialist can help you discover the source of your problems. If your troubled sleep is caused by tooth or jaw misalignment, orthodontic treatment might be the solution.

Orthodontists offer many treatment options designed to align your teeth and jaws for a healthy, attractive smile. Braces or aligners might be all you need to correct a mild malocclusion. Appliances and headgear can influence the growth and position of the jaw if needed. In more severe cases, surgery, together with braces, can create a proportional, healthy bite. 

Whether it’s a confident smile, healthier teeth and gums, a functional, comfortable bite, or any of the other benefits orthodontic treatment can bring, talk to the dental team at Nalin Orthodontics in Mount Vernon, WA to discover how orthodontic treatment can help you achieve all of your smile goals!

Do you ever find yourself gnawing at your nails? Nail-biting is a very common and difficult to break habit which usually has its beginnings in childhood. It can leave your fingers and nail beds red and swollen. But if you think that your nails are the only ones getting roughed up by nail-biting you'd be mistaken—so are your teeth!

According to a study by the Academy of General Dentistry, those who bite their nails, clench their teeth, or chew on pencils are at much higher risk to develop bruxism (unintentional grinding of the teeth). Bruxism can lead to tooth sensitivity, tooth loss, receding gums, headaches, and general facial pain.

Those are some nasty sounding side effects from chewing on your nails. Most nail-biting is a sign of stress or anxiety and its something you should deal with. So what steps can you take if you have a nail-biting habit?

There are several things you can do to ease up on nail-biting:

• Trim your nails shorter and/or get regular manicures – Trimming your nails shorter is an effective remedy. In so doing, they'll be less tempting and more difficult to bite on. If you also get regular manicures, you’ll be less likely to ruin the investment you’ve made in your hands and fingernails!
• Find a different kind of stress reduction – Try meditation, deep breathing, practicing qigong or yoga, or doing something that will keep your hands occupied like squeezing a stress ball or playing with a yo-yo.
• Wear a bitter-tasting nail polish – When your nails taste awful, you won't bite them! Clear or colored, it doesn't matter. This is also a helpful technique for helping children get over the habit.
• Figure out what triggers your nail-biting – Sometimes it's triggered by stress or anxiety and other times it can be a physical stressor, like having hang nails. Knowing what situations cause you to bite your nails will help you to avoid them and break the habit.
• Wear gloves or bandages on your fingers – If you've tried the steps above and they aren't working, this technique can prove effective since your fingernails won't be accessible to bite.

If you're still having trouble with nail-biting after trying these self-help steps, it's best to consult your doctor, dermatologist, or Dr. Andrew Nalin. For some, it may also be the sign of a deeper psychological or emotional problem.

Whatever the cause, nail-biting is a habit you need to break for your physical and emotional well-being. If you have any questions about the effects it can have on your oral health, please don't hesitate to ask Dr. Andrew Nalin during your next visit to our Mount Vernon, WA office.

At our office, Dr. Andrew Nalin and our team do all that we can to make sure that your experience with us is the best it can possibly be. However, there’s an important role you play in this as well: leaving us reviews and feedback.

Whether there is something you’d like us to improve upon, or you’d just like to express your thanks for a job well done, your feedback is essential to our practice’s success.

We look forward to hearing from you, and are excited to hear what you thought of your most recent visit at our Mount Vernon, WA office.