Oral health plays a crucial role in our overall well-being. Having always heard from dentists to regularly brush and floss, maintaining the entire section goes beyond two simple steps.
Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman has often spoken about various aspects of oral health and its role in an individual’s health. He recently elaborated further on the subject in his podcast.
Focusing on the red flags of oral health, Dr. Huberman dived deeper into what one should avoid to maintain hygiene in the mouth and surrounding passage. He revealed a list of six practices/elements that could cause a mess in one’s mouth.
Alcohol
Often, the light of the party and a medium to socialize, alcohol could quickly turn into a bane for oral health. The Stanford professor observed that while alcohol could be enjoyable, it disrupts the mouth’s microbiome and the saliva’s pH balance. This causes the teeth to enter a demineralization phase.
Unlike popular belief, alcohol doesn’t cure the scratchy feeling in one’s throat during sickness. If anything, Dr. Huberman revealed that it made matters worse by killing the cells that offer protection during sickness.
Stimulants
Not just drugs, but any kind of stimulant used for medical treatments that could cause changes in the levels of adrenaline hold the potential to harm oral health. This included medications such as Adderall, Vyvanse, and so on.
The neuroscientist elaborated on how they had similar effects to alcohol wherein it changed the pH levels. While this was on a chemical level, stimulants caused damaged oral health on physical levels as well.
Mouth breathing
Studies by researchers from the University of California showed how methamphetamine addicts tend to breathe through their mouths a lot. To add to this equation, they had terrible teeth conditions.
A physical effect of stimulants on oral health was that they forced the individual to breathe through the mouth. This phenomenon causes the mouth and saliva to dry up, which is not ideal for oral hygiene.
Smoking/Vaping
Anything containing tobacco, especially cigarettes, can cause harm to both your lungs and mouth. These substances run a high risk of causing cancer and damaging the tissues in the gums. And while vaping or even cannabis might be different from smoking a traditional cigarette, Dr. Huberman warned how none of them serve any silver lining to the situation.
Sugary snacks
One of the most highly debated ingredients in the culinary world, sugar serves both as a boon and a bane. The Stanford professor explained that to ingest sugar and ensure that it didn’t cause much harm to one’s oral health, the best practice was to rinse the mouth with some water immediately after eating.
Acidic foods
Chewing up any form of carbohydrates, sugars, and starches leads to the release of acid. Apart from putting the pH levels of the mouth off-balance, acidic foods also cause demineralization of the teeth. This phenomenon is a strict no-no for oral health.
The new Huberman Lab episode is all about oral health. It covers everything from brushing and flossing, as well as how to repair cavities without drilling (which depends on how deep they are into the tooth, of course), as well as the oral microbiome, which is critical for whole… pic.twitter.com/pQu5sPvhj4
— Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. (@hubermanlab) February 13, 2024
An important note that Dr. Huberman reiterated throughout the segment was how all of these elements needn’t be banned. An occasional shot of alcohol was allowed, and sugary snacks could be a good treat to the tastebuds. Moderation was the key, and those who indulged needed to be more careful about their oral health.
Demineralization, remineralization, and fluoride for the teeth
In a previous AMA session, Dr. Huberman briefly touched on the subject of oral health when he addressed the presence of fluoride in tap water. While the idea might sound unfavorable, fluoride could contribute to strengthening one’s teeth through a series of chemical changes.
The remineralization of teeth refers to the natural process of repairing the tooth. Whereas demineralization refers to the loss of minerals from the teeth, making them more susceptible to damage. Both processes are independent and, therefore, can’t occur simultaneously.
Fluoride’s chemical structure allows it to take part in remineralization, thus reinforcing the teeth structure. All Dr. Huberman highlighted throughout the segment was that the dosage was the key to determining how helpful or detrimental it could be.
