The fast food culture become an unstoppable force in most developed nations. In fact, it is surprising and shocking that the rate of serious dental problems is rising right alongside education levels and disposable incomes rise in countries with economic growth. The reason for this seemingly counter-intuitive trend has been the spread of fast food eating habits.
Fast food — and the soft drinks that almost always accompany it — are loaded with sugar. This addition of sugar is an extremely important modifying factor for the development of disease: sugar is the perfect food for the growth and development of pathogenic micro-organisms. A drop in salivary acidic levels to allow tooth destruction to take place, and sugar's sticky nature has a prolonged effect on the teeth.
Caries/Tooth decay
The most common form of added sugar the diets of average Americans is through soft drinks, one study found. It has also been proven without doubt that an increased amount of sugar directly translates to an increased amount of tooth decay. This is what led researchers to investigate whether increased consumption of soft drinks made people more likely to get tooth decay. The National Health and Nutrition Examination study showed that people who drank three or more soft drinks daily had a 17 to 62 percent greater chance of developing tooth decay than those who did not have any soft drinks.
The same co-relation between soft drink consumption and tooth decay was found in a study conducted on British school children, where even one soft drink on average per week raised the chances of developing tooth decay by three percent.
Fast food is also not as rough and thus naturally cleansing to the teeth. Our teeth were designed to tear and chew on food that was uncooked. The jaws have evolved to smaller shapes in response to the reduced amount of force required for chewing since the advent of cooking. The surface of the teeth, while being extremely hard, is not equipped to handle sweet and soft food all the time. Go against nature by consuming large amounts of sugar, and the quality of plaque in the mouth will change to make it more destructive in nature.
It is fascinating to think that one of the main reasons why tooth disease is rampant all over the world is because humans are simply not working their teeth hard enough anymore!
READ Treatment for Periodontitis - Periodontal (Gum) Disease
Periodontal Disease
This condition — which affects the supporting structures of the teeth including the gums, the bone and the root covering (cementum) — is also affected directly by your diet. The changed plaque characteristics a fast food diet create have been found to cause an increased amount of gingival bleeding, packet formation, recession, and eventual tooth loss.
While poor oral hygiene is the main cause for the occurrence of periodontal disease, there is no doubt that a fast food diet reduces the margin of error significantly.
More Effects Of A Fast Food Diet on The Teeth
Tooth Erosion
Tooth erosion refers to destruction of the protective layers of the teeth due to chemical processes without the involvement of micro-organisms. Our enamel, which is considered to be the hardest substance in the body, is extremely susceptible to damage when exposed to an acidic environment.
Most fast food and soft drinks have added preservatives in them that are also extremely acidic in nature. Phosphoric acid, Citric acid and Malic acid are among the most common additives in fast food. and studies have found them to incredibly erosive to the teeth.
The fact that fatty food is available on every street corner in developed nations has created eating habits different from what they were or still are like in the less developed parts of the world. In-between snacks or late night binges are extremely fun, no doubt, but they are equally harmful to your dental health. The change in the acidic level of the mouth means that micro-organisms have more time to release noxious substances in an environment suited to them.
One of the most famous studies conducted to research the effect of soft drinks on enamel involved the immersing of a healthy piece of enamel and then studying the damage at different times, up to 48 hours. The study found all major commercial soft drink brands to be extremely erosive over this period of time and attributed it to their low pH levels.
This is the study that is quoted when comparing soft drinks to battery acids. While there is no doubt that soft drinks are acidic and alter the acidity of our oral cavity, it is highly unlikely that we will see the kind of damage reported in the study. This is because the study did not take into account the effect of saliva, which is a natural buffer that helps neutralize acidic foods. Also not even the most avid soda addict swishes soft drinks around their mouth for 48 hours!
It is still advisable to drink soft drinks with a straw, so that their contact with the teeth is minimized.
Nutrition
Nobody has ever claimed that fast food is the healthiest or most nutritious option around. You may not quite be aware that people who are used to eating fast food as their staple diet are extremely likely to suffer from deficiencies of essential nutrients and minerals. Calcium and Phosphorous are very important for the healthy development of the teeth during childhood, and also plays a crucial role in making sure the teeth remain strong throughout your life.
The tricky part about these findings are that nutritional studies aren't usually double blinded, since it would be unethical for a person to be deprived of essential nutrients just to study what effect that has on their teeth. However, most dentists and researchers in the field agree that proper nutrition plays a huge role in maintaining the integrity of the teeth and preventing tooth and gum disease.
Conclusion
Almost all the studies conducted on the effects of fast food on the teeth have shown that there is some amount of increased damage to the teeth that takes place due to its consumption. It is, however, important to remember that fast food can be enjoyed in moderation, much like any other food article, without any trouble whatsoever.
A number of variables like oral hygiene, other dietary habits, and access to treatment play an important role in determining how harmful fast food can be to an individual.
Sources & Links
- Photo courtesy of MattysFlicks: www.flickr.com/photos/68397968@N07/22771352532/
- Photo courtesy of stevensnodgrass: www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/3462884640
- 1. http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=N&iid=315&aid=1274
- 2. http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/d/diet-and-dental-health
- 3. http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/basics/nutrition-and-oral-health/article/ada-04-food-choices-affect-your-oral-health