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Calcium fortified fruit juices do significantly less erosive damage
to your teeth, reports the American Dental Association. If your
teeth are prone to erosion, pick one of the following calcium fortified juices.
Anytime your teeth are exposed to acids,
some of the calcium is dissolved out of your teeth. Your body's
saliva contains calcium and phosphate to repair the damage, but it
can only do so much. If the calcium is taken away faster than the
body can repair it, part of the tooth erodes away permanently.
There are two areas of the tooth to consider: the enamel, and the
root surfaces. Enamel is the hardest substance in the entire body,
and is found only on the outsides of your teeth. In younger
children and adults, the root is hidden under the gums. As we age,
bruxism, overbrushing, and gum disease can cause the gums to
recede. This exposes the much softer root surfaces, which are much
more susceptible to acids from juices or foods that we consume.
Dentists from the University of Iowa tested samples of
calcium-fortified juices against non-calcium fortified juices. They
used enamel and dentin slides from extracted teeth. Apple, orange
and grapefruit juices benefitted most from calcium supplementation:
no significant enamel erosion, and reduced root surface erosion.
Calcium made white grape fruit juice less erosive to enamel, but
didn't help at all for root surface erosion.
If you have receded gums, your exposed roots are at increased risk
of dental erosion. Consider choosing calcium fortified apple, orange or grapefruit juices, and minimizing your intake of sodas and sweets,
which are also acidic. As an added benefit, you'll decrease your
chance of osteoporosis, too.
Source: R. Davis, DDS, T. Marshall, PhD, RD/LD, F. Qian, PhD, J.
Warren, DDS, MS, James S. Wefel, PhD. "In vitro protection against
dental erosion afforded by commercially available,
calcium-fortified 100 percent juices" Journal of the American
Dental Association, December 2007, Vol 138, pg. 1593-1598
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