Hi, it’s Dr. Tamura and I just wanted to tell share a few things with you that can improve your dental health between visits.

I know that you’ve heard it before but sugar is one of the biggest enemies of your mouth. Sugar fuels bacteria and acid production, causing plaque to form and eat away at your teeth and gums.

Marina Del Rey dentists talks about soft drinks and your teeth

So here are a few quick tips to help:

• Beverages give your mouth a bath in acid

  - Make that soda or your favorite sugar-laced beverage a treat rather than a regular occurrence throughout the day. Even diet beverages are bad for your teeth. Because diet beverages are acidic, they change the PH in your mouth.

Your saliva has the ability to buffer the affects of the acid but it takes 20 minutes. As you keep drinking soda at your desk all day, you’re literally bathing your mouth in acid.

If you drink soft or sports drinks, have them with a meal and then brush afterwards.

• Brush and floss it away

  - Brush your teeth and floss after eating a food or drinking a sugary or acidic beverage. A toothbrush, some floss and a travel size tube of toothpaste is easy to carry around or leave in your desk drawer.

• Cut back

  - One of the most affective things you can do for your teeth is cutting back on the amount of sugar you consume. It sounds simple and it is because it works. Aim for a realistic goal and first and slowly reduce your sugar intake over time.