 Oral bacteria such as "Streptococcus mutans" live in dental plaque and metabolize "any" free sugars (not just sucrose, but also glucose, lactose, fructose, and cooked starches) into lactic acid.The resultant lactic acid lowers the pH of the tooth's surface, stripping it of minerals in the process known as tooth decay.All 6-carbon sugars and disaccharides based on 6-carbon sugars can be converted by dental plaque bacteria into acid that demineralizes teeth, but sucrose may be uniquely useful to "Streptococcus sanguinis" (formerly "Streptococcus sanguis") and "Streptococcus mutans".