Your Oral pH – Why Is It Important? (Video)

So, hello friends. Today I want to talk about your oral pH. What is it and why is it important?

So your oral pH is very critical to making sure you don’t get cavities. Your oral pH…so pH comes in from 0 to 14, and 7 is neutral. So anything from zero to seven is very acidic and anything from seven on up is very basic, and that’s really what we want. Now, an acidic pH is anything below a seven. Every time you eat a piece of candy or even actually just regular food, your pH is going to drop to about two for about 20 minutes. So your pH drops, and as it drops, it de-mineralizes or dissolves the outer layer of your teeth. And that’s how you get cavities. That’s number one.

Now, the other thing that happens with acidic pHs, or pHs below seven, is that patients usually have acid reflux or have some sort of diseases that are happening. Now, an acidic pH actually makes certain types of funguses, bacteria, and viruses grow, and that is the reason we want to avoid an acidic body or any sort of an acidic environment in the mouth or the rest of the body.

When we have things that are alkaline, so anything seven and above, like you probably have heard of alkaline water. The reason why we want alkalinity is because that’s when your body functions the best. It also stops bad bacteria from overgrowing, also bad cells from overgrowing, and it’s much healthier for you. And so make sure you are being mindful of the things you are putting in your mouth.

Now, frequent snacking is a no-no because, remember what I said, the pH drops to about two and stays there for about 20 minutes. That is something you can do right away to help minimize or really making sure you don’t drop your pH. Second thing is always hydrate. That’s always really helpful. And number three is making sure the foods you pick are going to be alkaline. For example, I always hear patients having apple cider vinegar. Fantastic if you want to have it, just have it through a straw so that way it doesn’t dissolve your teeth. Apple cider vinegar is actually really good for your body, but bad for your teeth. So it is acidic in the oral cavity and basic in the stomach. So those are some things that you can pay attention to.