Comments on: Is Exercise Bad For Your Smile?

By: evilcyber

evilcyber — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:22:06 +0000

In reply to Dr. J. I believe so too. When just swallowing, the water barely gets into contact with the teeth.

By: evilcyber

evilcyber — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:21:06 +0000

As far as I understand, it’s a matter of balance and for optimum tooth health the pH has to stay in a specific range.

Too much alkaline can apparently damage the teeth’s organic compounds, in return making the enamel weaker:

http://www.sahlgrenska.gu.se/english/news_and_events/news/News_Detail/Exposure_to_alkaline_substances_can_result_in_damaged_teeth.cid899773

By: Ph-question

Ph-question — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:26:07 +0000

I am somewhat confused by the problem the more alkaline environment creates. This is the first time I hear a rising salivary ph being bad for the teeth. Correnct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the majority of cavity-causing organisms (S. mutans, for example) thrive in an acidic environment? To the best of my knowledge, the protective role of saliva is that it makes the mouth MORE alkaline, thus inhibiting the colonization of the plaque by such bacteria.

I can definitely see the problem of the reduced salivary flow, which is the same thing that riuns the mouths of meth addicts, but isn’t the higher ph actually a BENEFIT of physical exercise? Of course, this benefit might be offset by the reduced amount of saliva.

By: Dr. J

Dr. J — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 18:31:34 +0000

I read the study and comments in the NYT. Most people said to drink more water even though the study said this made no difference. I am suggesting that drinking water is not as useful as swishing the water around your mouth frequently to make the environmental ph less alkaline.