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Hi there! I’m Maddie, a recent high school graduate and the best and only intern at America’s ToothFairy. During my time here, I’ve learned a number of strange and alarming facts about oral health. These are the three that I found the most interesting:
A common misconception is that tooth decay is caused by sugar alone. In reality, tooth decay is caused by bacteria called strep mutans that live in your mouth and eat the sugar you eat. But where does this bacteria come from?
I was surprised to learn that the bacteria that causes tooth decay is contagious. We acquire these harmful microbes the same way germs and viruses spread. The biggest culprit of transmission are our very own parents! Kissing, sharing drinks and utensils, blowing on and tasting their baby’s food, and licking off a pacifier to clean it are all ways a parent can pass decay bacteria to their baby. Kids can also pass these bugs to other children through their saliva and drool. Anyone in the family can share those pathogens–even the family pet!
I was also surprised to learn how colonies of strep mutans grow. They thrive by eating the sugars in your mouth, then they produce acids that not only dissolve the enamel on your teeth, but lower the pH of your mouth. If you don’t remember your middle school science class, pH is the system used to measure how acidic or basic something is (lower = more acidic, higher = more basic.) Your mouth pH should be right in the middle. By lowering the pH of your mouth, the bacteria creates an acidic environment, which it LOVES. This environment is perfect for the bacteria to reproduce, which in turn causes more acids to be produced, which lowers the pH even more. It’s a vicious and toxic cycle.
The real key to controlling decay is eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar. Sugar exists everywhere, not just in candy and sweets. Sugars in foods like granola, cereal, baby formula, liquid medicine, bagels, and energy drinks, and the carbohydrates in snacky-type foods, feed the strep mutans bacteria that cause tooth decay. Pay attention to the foods you eat and wash away anything that feeds the bacteria immediately with water or chew a piece of sugar-free gum with xylitol.
Did you know you have fungus in your mouth? Me neither, but it’s true! Candida albicans is a fungus that occurs naturally in your mouth. A healthy immune system is enough to keep the levels of this fungus in check, but an unhealthy mouth can lead to an overgrowth of candida albicans, known as an oral thrush.
But if this fungus is natural, why worry? Well, this fungus helps out some of the not-so-’fungi’s in your mouth! Candida albicans makes the strep mutans bacteria five times more destructive. Not only that, but it thrives on the higher levels of sugar in the mouths of people with uncontrolled diabetes, and makes the effects of diabetes five times more pronounced.
An unhealthy mouth is the perfect place for this fungus to spread. This oral thrush, like most pathogens, live in the acidic environment they create with the acids they excrete. Things like mouth breathing, acid reflux, and acidic foods and drinks make this environment even better for this fungus, and even worse for your teeth.
The best ways to slow the growth of oral thrush are to breathe through your nose, swish with water after eating or drinking something acidic or sugary, and brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day.
Some Internet trends may seem like good ideas at first glance, but many have harmful side effects that are rarely mentioned in the TikTok videos that promote them. Many of these trends damage your teeth, some permanently.
Veneers are a cosmetic dental procedure that cover the surface of teeth to hide flaws. While veneers are great for people with chipped or broken teeth, gaps or spaces between teeth, permanently stained teeth, and small or misshapen teeth, veneers are not a replacement for proper dental care. The procedure used to apply and replace veneers requires the removal of some of your natural enamel (the protective layer on your tooth that defends against cavities,) which can cause the tooth to become sensitive to heat and cold. Some people have taken this process to a disturbing extreme where teeth are filed down to a nub, making the procedure irreversible. Since reputable dentists won’t do this procedure unless absolutely necessary, some people go to dentists overseas to get all of their teeth filed down simply to get “perfect” teeth, destroying their natural teeth in the process.
Speaking of filing, some people think it’s a great idea to take a nail file and resize their teeth (hint: it’s not). This can cause tooth sensitivity, damage to enamel and dentin (dentin is the layer of your tooth that surrounds the nerve, and is what the enamel protects), and nerve damage. This makes them more likely to get cavities!
Tooth tattoos are another foolish trend, not just because the application of these tattoos uses an acid to dissolve microscopic holes into your enamel, but because these tooth tattoo kits can be purchased for at-home application. While this product causes a variety of harmful side effects, including tooth sensitivity and damage to enamel, I think the worst fact is that these products don’t require FDA or ADA acceptance to be publicly available.
Oral piercings are another trend that seems harmless at first. However, while online videos may tell you about the process, how much it hurts, how long it takes to heal, etc., most don’t talk about the multitude of risks. These risks include swelling and bleeding, scarring, infection, scratched and chipped teeth, and even gum recession from the jewelry rubbing against the gums. (You really need healthy gums to hold your teeth in!) Not to mention the jewelry can affect speech and chewing, cause intense drooling, and block the airway and cut the throat if swallowed.
I’ve learned a lot as an intern at America’s ToothFairy, most importantly that smiles are far too important to trust to Internet influencers! Always consult your dentist or orthodontist before going through with any of the dental trends you see online.
Madelyn is a recent high school grad who is testing out a few careers before starting college. When she's not helping out the Tooth Fairy she enjoys gaming, baking, and playing with her two German shepherd dogs. She lives in North Carolina with her family.
Sources:
Protect Your Teens Smile from Internet Influencers
Risky Oral Piercings - Damage to Teeth, Gums & Bones
Cleveland Clinic: Veneers
The Truth about Dental Veneers in Turkey
Comparison Kills: Why Gen Z is Self-conscious About Their Smile
Tooth Tattoo Trend: What Dental Pros Need to Know
Cleveland Clinic: Candida Albicans
Tooth Decay: Hard Facts About Soft Teeth
About Candida Albicans: Natural Yeast and Problematic Infections
The 56 Most Common Names for Sugar (Some Are Tricky)
Susceptibility for Caries, Gum Disease Found in Genes
