What’s pH Got To Do, Got To Do With It?
Summertime in Montana. It's pretty spec- tacular. It's a good thing the days are so long because of all the activities we have to do be- fore sunset. I have really appreciated the rainy days as they force me to have a rest day.
Summertime also brings a lot of tourists. Tour- ists with which true locals as well as longtime residents have a love hate relationship. Just real- ize that a lot of us were tourists at some point who fell under the spell and immediately ad- justed our course towards permanent residence here. A lot of us (myself included), even moved here from...gulp...California. So, while I'm still going to be mildly annoyed at the increased con- gestion, I will maintain my graciousness towards our visiting friends.
At all three of our Smile Montana locations, we have the opportunity to see tourists on a daily basis whose amazing Montana vacation is being interrupted by a dental emergency. Some emergencies are simply a chipped tooth or loose crown while others are the result of inflammation and/or a bacterial infection and can be quite painful. Some just need the reassurance that they will be fine until they return home, while others need quick intervention for a return to health. I am grateful for my abilities to be able to quickly have their situation resolved and to send them back out on their adventures.
During these visits I get the chance to meet people not just from various regions of the United States, but from all over the world. I get to hear from them what they have already done on their trip, and I can offer up suggestions to further enhance the remainder of their time. Don't worry, I'm keeping the secret spots secret. It's mainly food suggestions from around the valley. Without fail during all of these interactions is their amazement and awe at the Flathead Valley and Glacier Park. I appreciate being reminded of how great his place is daily by those who have to leave...and I don't. Don't become jaded folks... life is good!
Let's get into the topic at hand in this issue, the pH scale. What is it even? How is it calculated?
How is it relevant to my oral health? Should we even care? Alkaline water? Hopefully we will have these questions answered for you by the end.
To make this as simple as possible just imagine pure water. Ok so pure water is referred to as neutral in the context of pH. So, it should equal zero right? Wrong, it is actually at a pH of 7 on a scale that goes from 0 to 14. These are logarithmic units meaning each unit represents a tenfold increase or decrease depending on the direction you are going. So why is water neutral?
As we all know, water is also referred to as H2O. In other words, two hydrogen atoms combined with a single oxygen atom resulted in water. These atoms attract because hydrogen atoms carry a single positive charge while oxygen carries charge of negative 2. Now, if we had a glass of water it's not simply just a bunch of H2O molecules in there. It is a dynamic interplay of H2O molecules, H+ ions, and OH- ions, but the resulting ratio is even...neutral.
So, the lay person rarely thinks in terms of pH, they just use the word acidic. When something is acidic it falls between zero and seven on the pH scale, the closer to zero the more acidic it is. It also means that the solution has a greater ratio of H+ ions to OH- ions. Now the opposite of acidic is basic, also known as alkaline. Basic solutions fall between 7 and 14 on the pH with those closer to 14 being the more basic solutions. It would also make sense that basic solutions have a higher ratio of OH- ions to H+.
This is all relevant to oral health because the number one cause of dental decay is an acidic environment in the oral cavity. This acid can come from the diet directly, or it can come from the bacteria that metabolize sugars in your diet and produce acid as the byproduct. Saying sugar rots your teeth is like saying gasoline moves your car down the road. The motor moves your car, but gasoline is the fuel. Acid dissolves your teeth, but sugar is the fuel.
Our teeth come with an amazingly strong and beautiful shell of enamel on them. This is the strongest tissue in the human body...it is incredibly durable when cared for. I see patients in their 90's and I tell them, "those teeth were chewing steak before pearl harbor." Can you imagine anything else that sees daily use last that long? But even superman had his kryptonite, and for enamel it's acid.
Enamel will begin to weaken and dissolve at a pH of 5.5 and will continue to break down until it goes back above that number. Anytime we eat or snack on something with fermentable carbohydrates our oral pH will drop. Drinking water along with our own natural saliva will return our pH levels to normal. So, there are 2 ways to limit the amount of time our enamel is subjected to an acidic environment: 1) Eat healthier foods with less sugar. 2) Snack less often (sipping on a sugary drink all day is considered snacking for all intents and purposes).
This topic is fresh on my mind because like me, you most assuredly have noticed the alkaline water movement happening. Walk down the water aisle in any store and you will see options for water in the 8 to 9 pH range. I am not going to comment on the holistic and systemic health advantages that have been claimed but knowing now what we know about pH and our oral health it will help return and maintain your oral cavity to healthy pH levels.
I realize this was a bunch of chemistry jargon that might not be the most thrilling but knowing how it all works 100 percent will influence our decisions and behavior moving forward. And who can complain about healthier Montana Smiles?! There is a lot of Summer left out there for you to enjoy. Go get it!
Read What’s pH Got To Do, Got To Do With It? by Dr. John F. Miller, DDS, in 406 Woman magazine.