---
title: "How Sugar Affects Your Smile"
url: "https://yardleydentalarts.com/2021/10/31/how-sugar-affects-your-smile/"
site_name: "Yardley Dental Arts"
content_type: "article"
breadcrumbs: "Home > Teeth > How Sugar Affects Your Smile"
description: "Sugar feeds the bacteria that cause tooth decay, gum disease, and sensitivity. Yardley Dental Arts explains how to protect your smile. Call our office today."
keywords: "cavity treatment in Yardley, cavity treatment, sugar"
language: "en"
categories:
  - "Teeth"
tags:
  - "cavity treatment"
  - "sugar"
word_count: 548
reading_time: "3 min read"
summary: "Cavity Treatment in Yardley"
last_modified: "2024-06-06T21:18:24+00:00"
schema_type: "Article"
estimated_tokens: 713
---

# How Sugar Affects Your Smile

![child eats candy and has cavities](https://yardleydentalarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cavities-in-baby-tooth-1024x683.jpeg)

## Cavity Treatment in Yardley
Sugar has been linked to many health problems, including tooth decay. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet and maintain good oral hygiene, your smile can stay healthy. But if you overeat sugar, it can affect the health of your teeth and gums. Cavity treatment in Yardley, PA, can help alleviate the long-term consequences of sugar-related dental problems and prevent future decay.

## The Effects of Sugar
### 1. Tooth Decay
The bacteria in your mouth break down sugars, creating acid. This acid attacks and dissolves the hard surface of your teeth. The enamel that protects your teeth wears away, and a cavity forms. If you don’t remove the decay by cleaning or treating it, the damage can spread deep into your tooth to the soft, inner parts.

### 2. Gum Disease
If left untreated, tooth decay can cause infections and inflammation of the gums, leading to [gum disease. If you have periodontitis, your gums separate from your teeth and form pockets around them. B](https://yardleydentalarts.com/dental-treatments-yardley/periodontal-treatment-yardley/)acteria from plaque can quickly get under the gum tissue and cause more damage to the bone that supports your teeth. You may lose your teeth, and your tooth roots—the part that attaches to your bones—are exposed.

### 3. Filling Your Mouth with Sugar
Part of the process that causes the dental disease is the formation of plaque on your teeth, which contains bacteria and debris. The debris may be removed by brushing or flossing. But the plaque may build up again, especially if you eat high-sugar foods, otherwise known as bad-for-you foods. When plaque builds up in pockets around your teeth, bacteria can grow there and cause cavities and gum disease. Sugar can also make gum diseases worse by causing inflammation of the gums and gingivitis.

### 4. Tooth Sensitivity
If you have tooth decay or gum disease, your enamel and gums can become weakened by the infection. It can make your teeth more sensitive because less of the tooth remains. As you chew, small amounts of enamel may break off, exposing the soft tissues underneath. The exposed tissues get irritated when they rub against things like rough-textured foods or sweet liquids, causing pain or sensitivity to hot or cold items in your mouth.

### 5. Canker Sores
Cavity treatment in Yardley helps reduce recurrent infection. However, if you get recurring cavities, they can lead to more severe health problems. In particular, if a cavity is deep enough to expose the pulp of a tooth and the nerve that supplies sensation to it (called the trigeminal nerve), you may develop a painful sore called an ulcer. Some infected teeth can even erode to the root, causing pain and possible sensitivity.

### 6. Tooth Loss
Tooth loss is irreversible when it’s caused by sugar. If your teeth are damaged or destroyed by sugar, one can do nothing to repair them except wait for them to decay away naturally. Cavity treatment in Yardley can help prevent your teeth from being damaged. Visit us in Yardley, PA, at our office to learn more.

## Contact Us Today
Yardley Dental Arts has a long history of providing patients with excellent dental care. If you are looking for a dentist in Yardley, PA, who can provide you with the best preventative dentistry and routine dental care, please [contact](https://yardleydentalarts.com/contact/) us to schedule an appointment today.


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