St. Louis Hills Dental Group

The acid level in beverages plays a large part in demineralization of tooth enamel. Enamel starts to breakdown or demineralize at a pH (acid level) of 5.5. The lower the pH the higher the acidity. Each numerical decrease in pH is 10 times more acidic than the higher number.

Listed below are common beverages arranged from the least acidic to the most acidic.

Brewed tea 7.2
Soy Milk 7.0
Water 7.0
Coconut Milk 6.6
Goat’s Milk 6.5
Milk 6.5
Club Soda 6.0
Coffee 5.5
Barq’s Root Beer 4.5
e load 4.5
Buttermilk 4.4
A&W Root Beer 4.3
GU20 4.3
Tomato Juice 4.1
Pear Nectar 4.0
Dad’s Root Beer 4.0
Prune Juice 4.0
Vegetable Juice 3.9
Powerbar Endurance 3.9
Enervit G 3.9
Accelerade 3.9
Cytomax 3.8
Diet 7-Up 3.7
Wine(dry) 3.7
Iced Tea 3.5
Juicy Juice 3.5
Ultima 3.5
Sprite 3.4
Diet Dr. Pepper 3.4
Apple Juice 3.4
Diet Coke 3.4
Orange Juice 3.3
Pineapple Juice 3.3
Diet Mountain Dew 3.3
Red Bull 3.3
Mountain Dew 3.2
Twist Up 3.2
Propel 3.2
Fresca 3.2
Orange Slice 3.1
V-8 Splash Berry Blend 3.1
Pepsi Blue 3.1
Pepsi One 3.0
Surge 3.0
Sierra Mist 3.0
Kool Aid Jammers 3.0
Nestea Sweet Lemon Tea 3.0
Gatorade 3.0
Dr. Pepper 2.9
White Cranberry Juice 2.9
Wine(sweet) 2.9
Lipton Brisk 2.9
Squirt 2.9
Hawaiian Fruit Punch 2.8
Mr. Pibb 2.8
Welch’s White Grape Juice 2.8
Diet Cherry Coke 2.8
Mellow Yellow 2.8
Powerade 2.8
Extran 2.7
Monster 2.7
Hi-C Lemonade 2.7
Tang 2.7
Orange Crush 2.7
Capri Sun 2.6
SoBe Strawberry-Grape 2.6
Coke Classic 2.5
Cherry Coke 2.5
RC Cola 2.5
Country Time Lemonade 2.5
Pepsi 2.5
Gatorade Clear 2.4
Sunny Delight 2.4
Cranberry Juice 2.3
Lime Juice 2.0
Stomach Acid 1.0-2.0
Battery Acid(for comparison only) 1.0

Pregnancy complications are linked to unhealthy gums:

Dr. Steven Offenbacher, director for Oral and Systemic Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says, “When oral bacteria in the mother’s blood reaches the placenta and then reaches the fetus, it triggers an immune and inflammatory response, stressing the unborn child. Infections may account for up to 50 percent of premature births.” In the United States one in 10 babies are born too early, nearly double the rate in other industrialized countries. There are many risk factors, which include race, smoking, alcohol and drug use, etc., and more than 255 of complicated pregnancies occur for no know reason. However, it is known that the chemicals and hormones that mediate the inflammatory response can also dilate the cervix and trigger uterine contractions.

Heart health and inflammation:

Researchers believe that there is a link between heart disease and gum disease due to bacterial pathogens or inflammatory chemicals carried by the blood from the mouth to the heart. One study of 10,000 Americans between ages of 18 and 74 found that people with gum disease were much more likely to by diagnose with heart disease than those without gum disease. Doctors know that the inflammation that causes gum disease is the same that narrows coronary arteries. Everyone should be conscientious about treating gum disease, but it is not yet clear that doing so will protect you from heart disease.

Gum disease, obesity, and diabetes are linked:

Two decades of biomedical research has shown that the three are linked. It is believed that obesity intensifies infections, including gum disease. Fat cells release elevated levels of cytokines into the bloodstream. It is now known that elevated levels of cytokines accelerate gum disease. Once a diabetic patient has gum disease, their sugar control worsens and they suffer further complications, including nerve damage and kidney disease.

Here at St. Louis Hills Dental Group we all strive to work together to achieve a common goal;  to give our patients the best dental treatment with comfort and quality care.

As a team we all take pride in our dental experience and the years we have worked together.  I joined the team twenty three years ago,  some have been here more than thirty years.  We have all accomplished many goals together in our work and personal lives.

To keep our office running efficiently we start each day by reviewing our schedule and checking each patients individual wants and needs.  We also discuss what is expected of the team.

Once a month we all meet to discuss new materials, procedures, and any continuing education members of the team have experienced since the last meeting.  These meetings allow us to incorporate the latest technology for treatment that is needed and but comfortable for our patients.

So, I can assure you that we will all do out best to demonstrate to you, our patients, that this is a job worth doing and how much we enjoy doing it together.

Tina

• Oral Disease and Osteoporosis~

A recent University of Buffalo study linked osteoporosis and periodontal (gum) disease. The study stated that it was particularly evident in women 70 and older; however 25% are men. What happens? With osteoporosis either too much bone is resorbed or too little bone is formed. About 10% of the body’s bone is removed and then replaced each year. Gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults. It destroys both gum tissue and the bone that supports the teeth. Researchers are studying how bone loss around those teeth is related to body-wide bone loss. What we know about osteoporosis is that it is a systemic disease. We know that bone loss in the oral cavity produces more cytokines that may impact bone quality throughout the body. People with osteoporosis are known to have elevated levels of IL-1 and IL-6 cytokines.

• Ventilators, an infectious pathway~

When hospitalized patients are connected to a ventilator, their risk of pneumonia can increase 20 times. This is a leading killer among hospital acquired infections. Oral bacteria in dental plaque can travel down the ventilator tube and into the lungs and begin to grow. Healthier gums and teeth will reduce this risk.