Why do my teeth hurt when I eat candy?

Many people may have been taught since childhood that they should not eat too much sugar, otherwise they will suffer from toothache. However, if we really talk about the reasons, not many people can explain it clearly. Toothache is a very painful thing. Once it occurs, it is often very unbearable. We need to know in depth the reasons why toothache occurs when eating too much sugar, so that we can also introduce it in detail to children. So, why do teeth hurt when we eat sweets? Let’s take a look below.

People often say: "Eating too much sugar will cause bad teeth." This is the practical experience of people in life for many years. Indeed, sugar plays a certain role in the occurrence of dental caries, especially sucrose. Eating sugar at the wrong time or in excessive amounts can be harmful to your body and teeth. Sugar is converted from starch, and eating a lot of pasta and rice on a daily basis does not necessarily damage our teeth. Some people think that dental caries occurs when teeth come into direct contact with sugar, which is wrong. Because even if we keep our teeth in sugar water for a long time, no caries damage will occur.

How does sugar damage teeth? We know that starch contains sufficient thiamine and other substances that can work together with pyruvate produced during digestion to generate heat. However, all thiamine in starch is destroyed during sugar production. Therefore, when sugar is eaten alone, the intermediate pyruvate does not have the right amount of thiamine to promote digestion. It exists in the blood in large quantities and stimulates the central nervous system to cause fatigue and reduce appetite. Therefore, eating sugar within 1-2 hours before a meal will reduce your appetite, and in the long run, malnutrition related to tooth structure will occur. The increased glycoprotein content in tooth tissue weakens the tooth tissue structure and makes it more susceptible to caries. Therefore, if you eat sweets when you are hungry before a meal, the teeth that grow out will be more likely to decay.

In addition, the oral cavity is a multi-bacterial environment. Some bacteria can use sucrose to synthesize polysaccharides, which can form a very sticky bacterial film. This bacterial film adheres to the surface of the teeth, especially the grooves on the biting surface of the teeth and the gaps between the adjacent surfaces of the teeth, and is not easy to remove. Bacteria may multiply in large numbers and form some organic acids and enzymes, especially lactobacilli, which produce a large amount of lactic acid that directly acts on teeth, causing tooth decalcification, softening and corrosion. Enzymes dissolve proteins in tooth tissue. The hardness and structure of teeth are easily destroyed, which creates conditions for the occurrence of caries. Some children are accustomed to holding a piece of candy in their mouths before going to bed at night. Since chewing and swallowing activities stop during sleep, the secretion of saliva is also reduced, which makes it easy for polysaccharides to form. In addition, some children lack the habit of consciously maintaining oral hygiene, so tooth decay is prone to occur. Is it okay not to eat sugar? No. Because sugar is an important substance that provides calories to the human body. Therefore, you should eat sugar in moderation, but not too much, especially the habit of eating sugar before meals should be changed. Consciously develop the habit of drinking some boiled water after eating candy and biscuits to flush out the sugar concentration in the mouth. Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before going to bed (at noon and at night), and never sleep with a candy bar in your mouth.

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