What you put into your body is every bit as important as brushing and flossing your teeth! To keep your teeth strong, your gums healthy and your breath fresh, you have to be mindful of the things you eat and drink. To help you make the best choices, we’ve outlined the 10 worst foods and drinks for your teeth!
Sugar
Certain types of bacteria in your mouth can convert sugar into a sticky substance called exopolysaccharide, which can coat your teeth and make it easier for unwanted bacteria to stick to them.
Gummy snacks
Gummies are often marketed as a healthier snack option, but unfortunately, they’re not very good for you. Not only is sugar often one of the main ingredients, gummies also leave sticky traces in the crevices of your teeth. This allows sugar to attack your teeth and gums.
Potato chips
Just like gummies, potato chips have a tendency to get stuck in the spaces between your teeth and gums and can spend hours attacking your mouth.They’re also high in starch, which turns to sugar as it breaks down.
Acidic foods
Our teeth are protected by a strong layer of enamel; it’s what allows us to drink hot coffee or enjoy a cool smoothie pain-free. An acidic oral environment can damage tooth enamel, leaving nerve endings exposed. Lemon juice, citrus fruits, tomatoes, alcohol and coffee are all highly acidic.
Wheat and grains
Grains like wheat and barley contain phytic acid and gluten, both of which are very hard to digest. As they pass through your digestive system, they leach minerals, including calcium, from your body. Over time, this can lead to a loss of minerals in your bones and teeth and cause enamel erosion.
Energy drinks
The sports or energy drinks you utilize to get through a workout are actually packed full of refined sugar, sweeteners and acidic ingredients. As mentioned above, these ingredients will wear down tooth enamel overtime.
Protein bars and granola
While you may consider protein and granola bars as healthy food options, they’re often not as good for you as the packaging might imply. Most protein and granola bars are full of sugar, grains and sticky dried fruits. These sugary ingredients can coat your teeth and cause cavities.
Alcohol
Apart from the fact that alcohol is highly acidic and full of sugar, it also has a diuretic effect on the body, which can cause dry mouth or cottonmouth. This occurs because alcohol inhibits saliva production.
Coffee
If you want to keep your teeth sparkling white, coffee is not your best option. It can also be tempting to over-brush your teeth after consuming a cup to avoid staining, but this is actually counterproductive. Excessive brushing damages your gums, which can result in unwanted bacteria entering your bloodstream. Coffee is also diuretic and inhibits healthy saliva production.
Ice
Chewing ice is very damaging to your teeth. If your teeth are already weak, ice chewing can easily cause painful, problematic cracks.
Ensure Your Oral Health
Here at Snow Family Dentistry, we know that it is nearly impossible to avoid all of the above mentioned items; life is for living after all, and you want to enjoy a slice of cake or a glass of wine now and again! With that being said, it is critical to get your teeth cleaned every six months to avoid infections or tooth discoloration. If you need to schedule a cleaning or other service, please contact us today at (480)982-7289.
