Educate Yourself
Acidity & pH
Understanding acid erosion and your risk for cavities
The balance between acidity and neutrality in your mouth has a direct effect on your risk for cavities. This balancing act is a major source of increased dental caries. Every time you eat or drink something other than water, the pH in your mouth becomes more acidic, and it takes time for saliva to restore a healthy balance.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- —Do you drink anything other than water more than 2x/day between meals?
- —Do you snack daily between meals?
Tips to Protect Your Teeth From Acids
- —Avoid or limit soft drinks and other acidic beverages. To maintain a low-risk status, limit food/beverages (other than water) to 4–5 per day.
- —Use pH-elevated products to change the chemical balance of your mouth and help prevent cavities.
- —Avoid swishing acidic beverages around your mouth.
- —Rinse your mouth with water after you eat or drink.
- —Chew sugarless gum to increase saliva flow and wash away acids.
- —Drink milk or eat foods containing calcium, like cheese, which neutralize acids.
Risk Factors for Net Mineral Loss = Caries
Time of Exposure
It is much better to drink a soda or juice all at once than over several hours. Continued acid challenges don't allow a rebound to healthy pH.
Dry Mouth / Saliva
Saliva washes bacteria and food off teeth throughout the day. With dry mouth, plaque accumulates quicker, raising the risk for cavities and gum disease.
Biofilm Imbalance
Cavity-causing bacteria in plaque adapt and thrive in acidic pH. High plaque volume or bacteria concentration can result in net mineral loss and decay.
Diet
Every time we eat or drink, mouth pH becomes more acidic. Frequent snacking prolongs low-pH periods and increases mineral loss from teeth.
Home Care
Mechanical removal of plaque via daily brushing and flossing, and the therapeutic products used, make a real difference.
Oral Appliances
Braces, Invisalign trays, night guards and partial dentures create areas that are harder to clean and can block protective saliva flow.
Health Concerns
Tobacco use, acid reflux, diabetes, bulimia, and drug use all raise risk.
Protective Agents
Fluoride, calcium and pH-elevating products help buffer acid and support remineralization.
The pH Scale
How Your Mouth Responds
Every time you eat or drink, mouth pH becomes more acidic. When pH drops below 5.5, tooth mineral begins to dissolve and is trapped at the surface in the biofilm.
Healthy Mouth — Balanced
Within 15–30 minutes, saliva and good bacteria in the biofilm buffer the pH and raise it back to a healthy level.
pH recovers — mineral returns to teeth
Unhealthy Mouth — Imbalanced
Prolonged periods of low pH prevent recovery to a healthy balance.
Net mineral loss from teeth