🦷 Sugar Frequency vs Cavity Risk Simulator

One Exposure, One Acid Attack

One sugar exposure triggers one acid-attack cycle.

• ~2.3 pH: Stephan curve drop (per sugar exposure)
• ~40 min: Recovery time (back above critical pH)
• 5.5: Critical pH (enamel demineralizes below this)
• Low: Cavity risk (isolated, well-buffered event)

The Stephan curve

Sugar feeds plaque bacteria almost instantly.

Enamel starts dissolving once plaque pH drops below 5.5.

One bite, one cycle

Saliva buffers the acid back toward baseline.

Why timing matters

Frequency, not amount, drives daily enamel damage.

Two Exposures, Two Attack Cycles

Two spaced exposures create two separate acid cycles.

• 2 / day: Exposures (separate acid cycles)
• 4 hrs: Gap between hits (full recovery between)
• 0%: Cycle overlap (cycles don't stack)
• Low: Cavity risk (still well within recovery)

Two separate attacks

Each exposure resets its own acid cycle.

Full recovery between snacks keeps total damage limited.

Saliva's recovery window

A four-hour gap lets minerals redeposit fully.

Still low risk

Two spaced exposures stay manageable for enamel.

Four Exposures, Overlapping Attacks

Frequent snacking overlaps acid cycles across the day.

• 4 / day: Exposures (frequent snacking)
• 75 min: Gap between hits (close to recovery time)
• Partial: Cycle overlap (cycles start stacking)
• Moderate: Cavity risk (attack time nearly doubles)

Cycles start stacking

New sugar arrives before pH fully recovers.

Overlapping acid cycles stretch total attack time sharply.

Shrinking recovery windows

Shorter gaps cut remineralization time short.

Cumulative acid exposure

Total daily attack time climbs steeply here.

Six-Plus Exposures, Near-Continuous Acid

Six or more exposures leave enamel almost no recovery.

• 7 / day: Exposures (near-continuous snacking)
• 35 min: Gap between hits (shorter than recovery)
• <10%: Recovery window (of waking hours)
• Severe: Cavity risk (chronic demineralization)

Near-continuous acid

Enamel barely rises above the critical threshold.

Six-plus exposures can erase recovery time entirely.

Chronic demineralization

Constant low pH outpaces natural mineral repair.

Highest cavity risk

Frequency alone now drives severe daily risk.

Same Sugar, Fewer Attack Cycles

Same total sugar, fewer exposures, far less attack time.

• 3 / day: Exposures (meals, not snacks)
• 200 min: Gap between hits (ample recovery time)
• Unchanged: Total sugar (same grams as stage 4)
• Low: Cavity risk (far less attack time)

Same sugar, fewer hits

Total sugar stays the same, exposures drop sharply.

Consolidating sugar into meals slashes daily attack time.

Longer gaps between meals

Wider spacing lets saliva fully buffer acid.

The frequency principle

How often beats how much for cavity risk.