S.E.A.: a Delicate Balance

SEA is an acronym for saliva, enamel and acidity.

Saliva plays many roles in the mouth such as helping with chewing and swallowing but also and perhaps most importantly serves as a neutralizing agent against the acids from our diet.

The Enamel of our teeth is the hardest part of the whole body. It is an engineering marvel designed to last a lifetime. If the masticatory (chewing) system functions harmoniously, without interferences, enamel can withstand hundreds of chewing cycles every day of our life for decades on end.

Acid erosion of the enamel happens when the amount of time Acidity is present in the mouth outweighs the neutralizing ability of the saliva. Today, an alarmingly large proportion of young people display signs of acid erosion in their mouth. The culprits? Mostly sodas, juices, sports drinks. Thirty to forty years ago, people drank those beverages only on special occasions. Today, it is a daily occurrence for most. And that is a problem: if the frequency of consumption is such that the saliva never gets a chance to bring the PH of the mouth back to neutral, the teeth begin to suffer enamel losses. The premature loss of this extremely important outer layer of all teeth can have catastrophic outcomes that will lead to very costly dental expenses.

Give your teeth a break: to quench your thirst, drink water. During the day, there should be several periods of 2+ hours during which there is nothing but saliva in your mouth. When thirsty during those importsnt rest periods, drink plain water only