Wednesday, November 01, 2006 Fresh fruit juices erode teeth enamel less By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T. Breakthroughs
“I find that most men,” observed physician Martin H. Fischer, “would rather have their bellies opened for five hundred dollars than have a tooth pulled for five.”
Toothache is a symptom that is not easy to ignore. It is often a direct result of tooth decay, which usually starts with a slow and often unnoticeable erosion of the enamel.
The degree of enamel erosion varies according to the kinds of organic acids found in the fruits, the ratios of such acids, and differences in other chemical components.
To determine these erosive potential among commonly consumed fruits, SR Grobler, PJ Senekal and TJ Kotze studied such effects from the juices of apricot, grape, guava, apple, and orange.
In the study, the researchers looked into the degree of enamel erosion by determining the depths of enamel removed (etch depth) at different stages over a period of 40 minutes.
The results, published in the Clinical Preventive Dentistry (Sep-Oct 1989 issue), showed that, over a period of six minutes, the degrees of erosion were as follow (from highest to lowest): apricot, grape, guava, apple, and then orange.
In the 40-minute period, the sequence was as follows: grape, apricot, guava, apple, and then orange.
What was interesting in its findings is that the degrees of etch depth showed five to eight percent higher from commercial fruit juices than those from fresh fruits (minced).
The instinct of man to preserve life includes the instinct to preserve his teeth. Despite the ease of access to false teeth today, keeping our teeth is one option we prefer at least for the reason of not having to go through the pain of its decay.
Voltaire observed in his essay Fate, found in the book Dictionnaire Philosophique: “Man can have only a certain number of teeth, hair, and ideas; there comes a time when he necessarily loses his teeth, hair, and ideas.”
Perhaps at the threshold of our lives, we can sit down and compare the counts of our teeth, hair, and ideas...and for the last time...laugh! (For comments and suggestions, please email to ztliteratus6046@lycos.com, or text to 0927-979-3519.)
