Anjali's friend suggested the following four ways to avoid tooth decay:

a. Brush your teeth twice a day

b. Wear braces to avoid enamel decay

c. Avoid sweets, chocolates and carbonated drinks

d. Rinse mouth after every meal

Which of the above ways should Anjali follow?

Concept

• The tooth decay starts in the mouth when Ph goes below 5.5.
• The decay of teeth is because of the increase in acidity inside the mouth due to bacteria.

Explanation

• In this pH, the bacteria create acid in the mouth through the oxidation of sugar and food particles.
• Bacteria also bind to the teeth to form dental plaque which coasts the teeth and hence saliva does not reach the tooth layer to neutralise the acid.
• Hence in order to protect teeth from decay, it is the basic step to decrease the bacterial load in the mouth.
• Brushing removes on the teen the sticky bacterial accumulation and reduces bacterial growth.
• Also, the basic nature of toothpaste neutralises the acid in the mouth and hence stops tooth decay.
• Baking soda or sodium hydrogen carbonate is also used to clean the teeth as it is alkaline in nature.

Important Points

• Brush your teeth twice a day - Correct
• Wear braces to avoid enamel decay - Incorrect (because braces help to reshape the structure of the tooth and not to stop the decaying).
• Avoid sweets, chocolates and carbonated drinks - Correct
• Rinse mouth after every meal - Correct

Key Points

• A healthy pH for the mouth environment is nearly neutral 6.8. 
• Tooth erosion occurs primarily due to acids you ingest from outside sources, such as sodas and citrus fruit drinks.
• The enamel is composed of 96% minerals, primarily hydroxyapatite; the remaining 4% of the enamel is primarily water and organic material.