Hi Elaine,<br>
I see a couple of issues here.<br>
First of all, don't worry about eating plenty of fruits! In their natural form they are very safe to eat any time of the day; processed into sticky fruit snacks is another matter...<br>
Energy drinks is another matter. Their high sugar and acid content can be an obvious threat. But even when consuming some during your training you can be pretty safe if you follow certain common sense guidelines. Teeth are bathed in saliva, which is, among other things, a natural buffer, which will neutralize the mouth environment after eating acidic foods. This function is very affective, but can be overwhelmed by too frequent consumption, eg. sipping sports drink frequently over a long period of time. It is much safer to carry sports drinks <i>as well as</i> water for a long run, and rinse out your mouth after you had some energy drink. Or alternate water/energy drink so you give your mouth enough time to recover.<br>
I am not a big fan of sports beans, because they will stick to teeth. From the dental point of view, gels are better, because they disappear into your stomach faster and won't linger in your mouth. Unless you absolutely cannot stomach them, I would suggest you to switch over.<br>
There is another issue here. It is very important to distinguish between tooth decay and erosion. Sports drinks, pop and the like tend to cause erosion. The harsh acidic environment causes the surface of the enamel to decalcify, loose its hardness. We all experienced our teeth feeling "rough" after drinking pop; this is the reason. Saliva is rich in calcium and phosphate ions, ready to replenish lost minerals if we give it a chance. Rinsing with water (and not brushing!) will neutralize acids and helps the process along.<br>
Tooth decay is caused by bacteria. They live in our mouth naturally, but regular oral hygiene practices, proper diet and the salivary antibodies keep them at bay. They need the right environment to become active. Enamel weakened by high acid drinks can help it along, but the prolonged presence of plaque on your teeth is also necessary for it to develop. Even with diligent brushing and flossing, however, decay can develop. There can be many local factors, like developmental grooves and pit that are impossible to clean, failing old dental work and a whole lot of other things. That is why your dental checkups are so important to find these things and nip them in the bud.<br>
When I see a sudden spike in a patient's decay activity, there is one more thing that I probe into: the possibility of dry mouth. Your saliva is your natural tooth protector! Decreased saliva flow will lead to an increase in tooth decay. Unfortunately, the amount of saliva we produce naturally decreases as we age. Also, there are certain systemic conditions and a slew of medications that can cause a decreased saliva production. I don't want to get into a discussion on dry mouth, there is too much to say, but if you google it you will find a lot of good info. We active folks are in the habit of consuming a lot of liquids all day, and may not notice we have less then normal saliva during the day. At night, however, when saliva flow is low anyways, bacteria have a field day!<br>
Sorry for the lengthy post, but this is a huge topic! I hope I was able to help somewhat, but don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.<br>
j
