Much has been talked about the ill effects of natural sugar on oral health and its primary role in causing tooth cavities and subsequent decay. Do artificial sweeteners also cause tooth decay? If not, they do warrant substituted extensively in place of natural sugar? Here is an analysis.
A brief introduction of Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are sweetening agents used in place of sugar. Many commercially available consumer products are made of artificial sweeteners these days. Even the common toothpaste we use every day has artificial sweeteners in them. Some of the artificial sweeteners used are aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame K and stevia. Among all the artificial sweeteners, only Stevia is obtained from a natural source.
Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Your Teeth
Artificial sweeteners do not contribute to or cause tooth decay. Hence they are non-cariogenic, which means not causing dental caries. Research points to the fact that many of these artificial sweeteners have no effect on tooth decay.
Some study says that artificial sweeteners may have an anti-cariogenic effect but they are not thoroughly proven. Hence it is still under study. They clearly do not contribute to tooth decay. Generally, the pH value inside your mouth drops when sugar is consumed. This is because an increase of acidity is observed after sugar consumption. Artificial sweeteners seem to work in the opposite direction. They are said to balance your salivary pH and as a result, decrease the volume of decay-causing bacteria in the dental area.
So can we replace sugar with Artificial Sweeteners completely?
A blanket replacement of natural sugar with artificial sweeteners is not recommended. This is because trading a sugary soda with a diet soda containing artificial sweeteners does no good to your overall health. This is because these are still junk foods no matter they contain natural sugar or not and they do not contribute to your health with their empty calories. So be wise when you replace your artificial sweeteners. Adding them in beverages like coffee, tea, health drinks, etc may serve a purpose.