Table of contents:
- Effect of spicy food on dental health
- Benefits of mouthwash to help reduce the risk of dental problems
To maintain dental health and hygiene, it is recommended that you brush your teeth at least twice a day. However, do you realize that sometimes brushing your teeth is not enough? Therefore, mouthwash or mouthwash often used because of its benefits and effects on oral health.
This of course also applies to spicy food lovers. In fact, if you don't give up eating spicy foods, you may always need to have mouthwash on hand. What is the relationship between spicy food and the use of mouthwash?
Effect of spicy food on dental health
If you ask whether spicy food causes tooth decay? The answer is no. But you need to know, as quoted by Harvard Health Publishing, spicy food is one of the causes acid reflux or stomach acid.
Content capsaicin in spicy food it only causes addiction and heat, but is not harmful to the teeth. On the other hand, if your stomach acid rises, this can cause tooth decay. This is where mouthwash comes in, which can help neutralize acid levels in the mouth.
The process of increasing stomach acid can damage your teeth, especially when you sleep. This is because you swallow less often so that saliva production decreases.
In addition, one of the mainstays of Indonesian society to add a spicy taste to food is to add sauce. You need to know, even though it tastes spicy on the tongue, sauces can contain a fairly high amount of sugar.
Based on research from 2016 from Andalas University, hot sauce or commonly known as chili sauce contains 0.74 grams of sugar.
Therefore, maybe you are unconsciously consuming sugar which can increase the risk of tooth decay. Eating foods with irregular and restricted sugar levels can damage teeth.
Benefits of mouthwash to help reduce the risk of dental problems
Mouthwash has an advantage in cleaning the inside that is difficult for a toothbrush to reach. If not cleaned, food debris including sugar in hot sauces can cause dental problems.
Here are the benefits of mouthwash you need to know, according to the American Dental Association:
- Prevent cavities
- Reducing or inhibiting the growth of dental plaque
- Prevent or reduce the risk of gingivitis (early stage gum disease)
- Inhibits the growth of tartar (hardened dental plaque)
- Prevent bad breath
Mouthwash can also be used if you have acid reflux. You can immediately use mouthwash if you have a stomach disorder to get rid of the acid build up around your teeth and mouth.
Mouthwash can actually be used before or after brushing your teeth, depending on yourself. It's just that, to optimize the benefits of mouthwash, you should pay attention to the rules of use that are usually listed on the packaging.
Apart from mouthwash, you can also do the following things to prevent tooth decay due to stomach acid.
- Chew sugar-free gum to increase saliva production in order to help neutralize and wash away the acids present in the mouth.
- Using a special toothpaste that can provide more protection for tooth enamel.
- Not smoking and consuming alcoholic beverages
- More often consult or visit the dentist for solutions to prevent tooth decay due to stomach acid.
Mouthwash cannot replace the role of a toothbrush. However, by using mouthwash every day every time you clean your teeth, your oral health and hygiene can improve, thereby reducing the risk of various dental health conditions.
