Can hot weather hurt teeth? Summer survival tips.

Feeling the heat? Your dental health may not be your first concern. However, an extended spell of warm weather may have a negative impact on our teeth.

Extreme weather is a warning we take seriously and we urge everyone to keep safe too. It’s easy to underestimate the impact a heatwave can have on our health. High temperatures can be damaging, even deadly. Each year when it’s hot, people die swimming in England’s waterways. There are precautions we can take to protect ourselves, and the people we care for, from heat-stress and related complications. We need to keep cool, going outdoors at sensible times, with sun-screen, protective clothing and water.

It’s good to be aware too that there is also some risk to our dental health. It’s not that hot weather itself hurts teeth, but what we put our teeth through when the temperatures rise can cause damage.

Hot weather itself isn’t the problem

The problem for teeth is more to do with the drinks and food we enjoy during a heatwave. There are three main dangers:

• Temperature changes can cause tooth enamel to crack. A sudden temperature change causes thermal shock. Even gradual temperature changes cause the dentine and the enamel to expand and contract at slightly different rates. Over time, teeth will feel more sensitive and look more stained.
• Whether it’s in ice-cream or a cold latte, sugar hurts teeth. Bacteria love sugar, and the longer your mouth stays sweet, the more bacteria can flourish.
• Acid found in fizzy drinks, fruit juices and wine, for example, weakens tooth enamel allowing bacteria easier access to underlying tooth structures. Saliva helps to neutralise acid.

If you’d like to read more about the combination of acid and sugar in drinks or learn more about sensitive teeth:

• What’s the best drink for teeth?
• Do footballers have good teeth?
• Sensitive teeth

Don’t let hot weather hurt teeth:

• Allow very cold drinks to lose the brain-freeze factor.
• Drink water regularly to encourage salivation.
• Plain milk is a healthy option.
• Make your own frozen yoghurts, sorbets or ices so you know the ingredients.
• Avoid, or limit, acidic fruits and drinks that erode enamel.
• Use a straw to keep damaging ingredients away from teeth.
• Keep up the minimum twice-daily oral hygiene routine.

How can the dentist help?

• If you eat or drink something cold and your tooth, or teeth, hurt, then make an appointment with your dentist.
• Ask your dentist about tooth whitening if fine cracks in your teeth are picking up stains.
• Regular check-ups will identify any dental issues before they become problems. Ask about different ways to pay for dental treatment.

So as the temperatures soar, reach for some cool water. Not too cold! No ice! No lemon!

On the same topic:

• External link to The Guardian – 10 ways to beat the heat

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