Dentist Orders- NO GATORADE. I need HELP!

[Nanci]

Don't they say chewing sugarless gum fights cavities? So do your gel or whatever, then rinse with water, then chew gum???

Nanci

[Denise223]

I used to work for a dentist, and what they recommended for people who drank gatorade was, to use a straw. Probably not a real feasible thing to do while riding, I know --

There is (over the counter), a moisturing mouth spray for Dry Mouth by Sensodyne called "Oasis". You can purchase this at any Walgreens, CVS, etc.... It's a little one ounce spray that you can easily keep in the back of your jersey when riding. (it's minty flavored).

This "Oasis" also comes as a mouthwash/rinse, too.

Denise

[milestogo]

I had the same problem: not really from Gatorade per se, but just too much stuff with sugar during long rides. My solution: I take my toothbrush and a very tiny tube of tootpaste in my pocket, and brush once en route. Usually, if I am out on a long ride, I have time to stop and do this. Also, I brush again straight away when I finish riding. The key is really to get the sugar out of the mouth. This has worked well for me: no more new cavities (still keeping the fingers crossed).

[SadieKate]

Supposedly, gum using Xylitol helps prevent cavities. However, since you need to be continuously drinking it seems that gum would be a big hassle and might actually cause you to drink less. I know I'd be worried about inhaling the stuff.

It seems to me to be better to get your calories in a manner that lets you rinse the sugar as you must get in carbs somehow on longer rides. It would seem that you could get the residual sugar from gel rinsed with plain water better than the residue from a solid good.

Electrolytes can be taken in using pills or powder.

[Running Mommy]

How wierd!!! I was just in the dentist yesterday having a whole filled in the side of my tooth, and the dentist said the same thing. Except he knows I have to injest at least SOME gatorade (or cytomax in my case) so he told me to follow it with a water chaser and try to swish the water around in my mouth, and to brush as soon as I'm done training. He also mentioned sugarless gum, but I'm not much of a gum chewer..

[winddance]

Have you tried gatorade rain? It's got a lot less sugar than regular gatorade.

The green one doesn't suck.

[velogirl]

Has anyone else noticed how yellow all the pros' teeth look in photos? Testament to the fact that being on the bike for many hours with a continual stream of food of any type (especially the sugars) can't be good for you.

I chew gum. I started the habit after I quit smoking. I chew on the bike. I chew during races. I kinda just park it on the side of my mouth. I've never had a problem inhaling it or getting it stuck in food (then again, I only use drinks and gels on the bike, no solid foods).

BTW, I had one of my main salivary glands removed last year so now my mouth feels dry all the time. My dentist prescribed special gum for me that's supposed to stimulate salivation. Seems to do the trick.

One cavaet on gum is that it masks the feeling of thirst, so you need to be extra careful about hydrating enough.