teeth

[Kookaburra]

If you're concerned you can choose to eat more solid fruits instead of drinking OJ.

I don't think there's any difference, in fact its even worse as little pieces of the solid fruit will be stuck in the teeth. It's the sugar that is the problem. If the solid fruits do not contain any sugar, then I agree with you. Actually I think that if sugar is not part of your diet, you won't get any teeth problems at all even if you don't brush or floss.

[Kookaburra]

When I use a straw, practically no OJ comes in contact with my teeth.

Actually I think they do. If no OJ comes in contact with your teeth, you won't be able to taste the OJ.

[Oscar]

Solid foods are less concentrated because they also contain fiber. Liquids also easily spread through the mouth if you're not careful (hence the use of a straw).

[CSIV]

Actually I think they do. If no OJ comes in contact with your teeth, you won't be able to taste the OJ.

Probably some, but it is much less in comparrison to drinking without a straw in my experience...The mass of juice doesn't contact my teeth at all. The juice doesn't neccisarily have to come in contact with the teeth for you to taste it, but a slight amount probably does stick around in your mouth and eventually hits the teeth.

[Kookaburra]

Solid foods are less concentrated because they also contain fiber. Liquids also easily spread through the mouth if you're not careful (hence the use of a straw).

That's the problem with solid foods, isn't it? The fiber gets stuck in the teeth. It then sits there for hours until you brush it off. No matter how good your brushing technique is, I am sure some fiber will still be stuck there.

[Oscar]

Well, fiber isn't the problem when we're talking about caries/enamel erosion, it's acid.

[Kookaburra]

So teeth-wise, eating raisins or other dried fruits is better than drinking juice? Despite the fact that the sticky residue of dried fruits will remain on the teeth? The sticky residue actually releases sugar for the bacteria to feed on. By the time you brush it off, isn't the damage already done?

[Oscar]

Of course it also depends on how you eat things. If you would for example bite in an orange and leave it on your teeth for an hour, then obviously that would be worse than drinking juice. By the same token it depends on how much sticks. Rinsing with water also helps. Use your common sense in this.

[Kookaburra]

If you would for example bite in an orange and leave it on your teeth for an hour, then obviously that would be worse than drinking juice.

Sometimes, they get stuck in your teeth without you knowing. Do you think people actually purposely leave small pieces of orange on their teeth?

Of course it also depends on how you eat things.

How should I eat things then? Should I use only my right side of the teeth to chew a dried apricot for example? Should I use only my molars? Should I use just the front teeth?

No matter what style of eating you use, there are bound to be leftovers stuck on your teeth.

[Oscar]

I just tried to illustrate that your questions are hard to answer, because there are always several factors in play.

[RRM]

Hydroxyapatite is the main constituent of the dental hard tissues, and in its dissolution leads to dental erosion.
Citrus fruits contain citric acid (citrate), which dissolves hydroxyapatite.
Allthough:

Rugg-Gunn AJ et al
"...the level of erosion observed for both the critic acid-based orange drinks was not statistically significantly different from that observed with distilled water."

Egg yolk contains ovalbumin, a specific protein.

Hemingway CA et al,...
ovalbumin significantly reduced the dissolution rate in citric acid by 50-75% over the pH range 2.80-4.00,
and by 45-60% in solutions with calcium concentrations of up to 20 mM (p < 0.05).
The effect was persistent for several rinses after the initial exposure to the protein.
0.02% w/v ovalbumin significantly reduced the dissolution of hydroxyapatite in citric acid by 30-55%.

[Kookaburra]

Actually why can't we brush with our fingers instead of using a toothbrush? Doesn't touching your teeth with the fingers remove the plague? The toothbrush has soft bristles. Well, our fingers are soft too, aren't they?

[Oscar]

Why do you think we use a brush instead of our fingers?

[Kookaburra]

Hmm so as not to waste food, can I swallow the plague and food debris that I have removed by flossing?

[Oscar]

Sure.