http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/10941314/ioc-official-trashes-olympians-garbage-teeth
.
Always wondered about that too, just got my check-up and always ask what I should do differently, answer is always the same stay away from processed food and sugary substitutes, kind of hard to do that in this sport stuff. Maybe a new niche market to develop… “Dentist Approved Sports Drink and Foods…” Mouth guards also work wonders for the night time grinders, love mine.
I’ve started doing the following:
Brush before each ride/run (to get rid of as much bacteria as possible).
Use gels and water only (the gels don’t get caught in teeth the way bars/chews do, and water can help rinse away any remaining sugars).
http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/10941314/ioc-official-trashes-olympians-garbage-teeth
I’m wondering if the “surge” of dentist appointments has anything to do with athletes getting free dental care at the olympics, or simply due to a backlog of issues that they’re putting off until after competition due to focus on the olympics. The article seemed puzzlingly vindictive for some reason. I had to double check that I wasn’t reading some crap tabloid after the first couple paragraphs.
I thought you couldn’t regenerate tooth enamel.
Another reason why I avoid sugary energy drinks and gels unless its a really long training day or a race. The rest of the time I rely on real food like bananas, dates or Cliff Bars, etc…
I’ve also switched to Skratch for my hydration which has way less sugar than most other drinks.
Only use gels on my very long runs.
I’ve been drinking de-fizzed Coke and Mtn Dew as my main re-hydration source (along with water of course) for 20 yrs, plus eating cookies and oatmeal pies as my main snacks, and I’ve never had any dental issues. I do brush several times per day and floss every day though, mainly because I can’t stand the feeling of my mouth about 20-30 min after I finish eating/drinking. Possibly many of these guys just don’t brush and floss enough.
Use herbal and fruit tea with salt and maltodextrine and the main problem - citric acid - is totally avoided without any loss in performance. Tasty, cheap and not attacking the teeth.
There is no performance advantage by adding citric acid to just about anything.
I had to double check that I wasn’t reading some crap tabloid after the first couple paragraphs.
Well, it is ESPN, so you were reading some crap tabloid.
I’ve been drinking de-fizzed Coke and Mtn Dew as my main re-hydration source (along with water of course) for 20 yrs, plus eating cookies and oatmeal pies as my main snacks, and I’ve never had any dental issues. I do brush several times per day and floss every day though, mainly because I can’t stand the feeling of my mouth about 20-30 min after I finish eating/drinking. Possibly many of these guys just don’t brush and floss enough.
This is really important to note. My mom still reminds me to this day, “Your great grandmother lived to 90 with every tooth in her head and no cavities. She brushed after every meal.”
Anybody know if starchy fuels like malto are better anti-cavity because it takes an extra step to turn to sugar?
Another reason to avoid the dentist!!
They’re citing a study from Britain. Aren’t the British renowned for bad teeth? (pink on or off, your choice)
Brush before, rinse after. If you brush after eating/drinking something acidic you damage the enamel.
Correct…however, you can re-mineralize it to a point. After an acid challenge from food or drink, calcium and fluoride are lost from the tooth temporarily. Given the opportunity, the tooth will re-mineralize and regain its strength, however, it is far more susceptible to decay at that time.
Possibly many of these guys just don’t brush and floss enough.
I’m sure that’s the case for some of them. But teeth seem so random… some people take great care of them and they still decay, some people take lousy care of them and have no problems.
I have two younger brothers, both adopted (but not genetically related to each other). Same upbringing. Same lousy eating habits and at best marginal dental hygiene. Older one approaching 30, still hasn’t had a cavity. The younger one has a mouth full of fillings, just like me.
My first year or so of really training for tri, though, was brutal on my teeth. The gatorade, the long rides with the wind drying the saliva in your mouth, the gels… I take much better care since then. I had bad teeth before then, but that was a dark period of my life, seemed like I was going to the dentist every week, 2 teeth pulled, root canals on 2 others, one novacaine shot that went awry and left me with some numbing for a few months. maxed out my dental insurance and spent probably 2k above that as well. and this is just me being an MOP age-grouper. no one is telling me how to intake my calories and if I want to sacrifice performance for dental health I’m going to do it.
My bathroom could function as a mini dentist office. I have an OCD issue with keeping my teeth clean. I also have floss strips and prepackaged toothbrush in my glovebox.
Anybody know if starchy fuels like malto are better anti-cavity because it takes an extra step to turn to sugar?
The sugar is not the main problem. The citric and phosphoric acid is. The sugar can be rinsed away with some water and the bacteria need some time to enhance, so if you brush 2-3 times per day, that is not the cause of problems. Obviously consuming too many carbs has a lot of associated health problems, so just use enough malto to fuel your ride and keep the blood sugar stable, not more. The problem are the unneccesary acids, that soften up the teeth and reduce the mineral content.
And those acids do nothing to enhance performance, they only increase the shelf life of premixed powders.
Performance gains of sport drinks are linked to hydration (water), carbohydrate (maltodextrine), natrium (table salt) and caffeine. Some studies claim better recovery with whey protein being added. Thats it. Every other ingredient (colour, vitamins, citric acid) is completely unnecessary.
If everyone stopped buying commercial sport drinks and used some herbal or fruit tea with salt, maltodextrine and maybe plain whey protein, dentists would loose some serious income 
Oh, and its much cheaper too …