Stay Away From These 7 Foods if You Want To Maintain Healthy Teeth
4 min read
Many people watch what they eat to maintain a healthy body, to lose weight or to gain weight, some choose the foods that give them more energy, and sometimes people eat to simply enjoy food.
I eat foods that are nutrient-rich and healthy for my body, but I never thought before that some of these foods might be bad for my teeth and oral health.
So besides brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing once, and visiting your dental clinic regularly, avoid these foods and beverages to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
- Soda
Not only soda but any sweetened, energy drinks, coffee, or even diet and carbonated soda are harmful to your teeth and gums’ health. They are acidic, dry your mouth which causes less saliva, (salvia protects your teeth), and the sugar in these drinks is like the fuel for the bacteria in your mouth, these bacteria produce acids that attack your enamel and cause cavities, erosion, and damages gum tissues.
Not to mention the other issues these drinks cause, like plaque, caries, and irreversible damages like dental erosion, as well as stains caused by black soda, colored soda, tea, and coffee.
- Sugary Foods
Sugar is the number one enemy for your teeth because it causes cavities and inflammation that lead to gum disease.
Refined sugar is found in foods like caramels, sour candies, baked sweets, cakes, lollipops, sugary cereal, sweetened lozenges, pies, white bread & rice, and other desserts.
Overeating eating these foods and drinks that contain added sugar will eventually harm your teeth, gums, and oral health in general.
- Citruses
Citruses like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, have acid which can make your teeth more susceptible to wear down and weakens your enamel leading to tooth decay, as well as irritating your mouth sores.
So when you eat or drink citrus don’t forget to rinse your mouth with water, even if you are only drinking lemon water, it still has acids and can harm your teeth.
Other foods that contain acids are:
Tomatoes, pickles, sports beverages, apple cider vinegar, and more.
- Sticky and Hard Foods
Chewing hard foods (and yes the ice is hard on your teeth even if it’s only water) can chip a tooth, crack it, or even break it, and damage your enamel.
Eating sticky foods can cling to your teeth and take out a filling, and because they contain sugars and stay for a longer time in your mouth they attract bacteria to that area causing cavities.
- Potato Chips and Crackers
Even though potato chips are not hard on your teeth, they get stuck in your teeth’ crevices, and because these crunches are made of starch, it breaks down into sugar causing plaque, and tooth cavity, so you will have to visit your dentist and get dental fillings.
What you can do is floss your teeth after eating the whole bag to make sure that you removed all particles and your teeth are completely clean.
- Fruit Juice & Dried Fruits
Many of us know how fruit juice and dried fruits are important in any diet, but these juices are acidic which causes teeth erosion, and the more acidic the fruit is, the more they are harmful, this applies to lemon, grapes, apple, oranges, and more.
Not to mention that they can stick between your teeth and because they contain sugar, they will cause some oral issues.
Brush your teeth and floss them after eating these kinds of foods to maintain healthy teeth.
- Alcoholic Drinks
Alcohol affects the mouth lining permeability which can lead to oral, pharynx, and larynx cancer.
It also causes dehydration and dries the mouth which means saliva lacks. Alcoholic drinks increase acidity in your mouth which softens enamel causing cavities, tooth damage, gum disease, and lesions.
Not to mention that some alcoholic drinks cause discoloration to your teeth like red wine. What you can do is brushing your teeth before and after 30 minutes.
Remember that you can always enjoy some guilty pleasure foods and drinks because, at the end of the day, we all know that we can’t cut all these pre-mentioned foods and drinks once and for all.
Just take good care of your oral hygiene and teeth, and visit your dental clinic regularly to check on your teeth.
Don’t wait until you feel pain or see something odd on your teeth because sometimes you can’t notice all damages by yourself, but your doctor can.
So make sure to book an appointment now and then to help your doctor determine any damages in their early stages and give you the needed treatment to avoid any additional issues.
Author bio:
Dr. Nabil Mockbil is an Orthodontist who received his DDS in 2001 from Umea University in Sweden, regarded as having the best dentist programme in Sweden for undergraduates. He’s now the founder of Swedish Dental Clinic in Dubai.
