Does diet impact your oral health? Yes, it does. Learn foods that are bad for your teeth and avoid unhealthy products to maintain your oral health.
Sour Candies
Unsurprisingly, candy isn’t good for your teeth, but sour candy is even worse. It’s one of the foods that are bad for your teeth. Sour candy has more acids that can harm your teeth. Because it’s chewy, it sticks to your teeth longer, which can lead to tooth decay.
If you want something sweet, choose a piece of chocolate instead. You can eat it quickly, and it’s easier to wash away.
Alcohol
You might know that drinking alcohol isn’t healthy, but did you know it can make your mouth dry? A dry mouth doesn’t have enough saliva to keep your teeth healthy. Alcohol is among the foods that are bad for your teeth.
Saliva helps prevent food from sticking to your teeth. It leans away food bits and even fixes early tooth problems. Drink lots of water and use fluoride rinses to keep your mouth moist.
Refined Carbs
Refined carbs are usually the kinds of foods that many young children love. The refined carb foods include white bread, crackers, chips, or french fries. These are simple carbs that turn into sugars when you eat them. When these sugars mix with the bacteria in your mouth, they create a strong lactic acid. The acid is good at damaging the protective layer of your teeth.
Soft white bread is one of the foods that are bad for your teeth. Because it sticks to your teeth easily. It gives the bacteria more time to make acid.
Popcorn
Popcorn can be a healthier choice than chips, but it can also be one of the foods that are bad for your teeth. We often enjoy popcorn during long movies, which gives the bacteria in your mouth more time to harm your teeth while watching.
Plus, it’s almost only possible to eat popcorn, some of it getting stuck between your teeth. So, be ready with a toothpick, water, or dental floss after eating.
The hard, unpopped kernels in popcorn can be good at cracking your teeth if you accidentally bite down on one. If you like to grab handfuls of popcorn, be extra careful.
Citrus
Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons can be as tasty as fruits and juices, giving you a lot of vitamin C. But they also have acid that can harm your teeth. This acid can damage the protective layer on your teeth, making them more likely to get damaged. Even if you just squeeze lemon or lime into your water, it can still add acid.
The acid from citrus can also be painful if you have mouth sores. If you want to enjoy their vitamins and antioxidants, try to eat or drink them in small amounts with meals and rinse your mouth with water afterward.
Potato Chips
The satisfying potato chip crunch is something many of us enjoy. But potato chips have a lot of starch, which turns into sugar. This sugar sticks to your teeth and feeds the bacteria in the sticky stuff on your teeth. It is also among the foods that are bad for your teeth.
Since we often can’t stop at just one chip, the acid from the chips keeps working in your mouth for a while. After you snack on some chips, it’s a good idea to use dental floss to eliminate the stuck bits.
Dried Fruits
Though dried fruits are a healthy snack, they can cause problems. Many dried fruits like apricots, prunes, figs, and raisins are sticky.
The American Dental Association says that dried fruits can cling to your teeth because they’re sticky. Tiny bits of dry fruits hide in the small spaces, leaving behind sugar. However, there needs to be more research on this topic, and experts need to do more studies.
If you enjoy dried fruits, rinse your mouth with water after eating them. Then, brush and floss your teeth. Eating fresh fruits is a good idea because they have less sugar.
Carbonated Drinks
Many people might already know that soda or fizzy drinks aren’t good for you, even if they say “diet” on the can. An older study found that drinking lots of soda can harm your teeth as much as using drugs like cocaine.
Sodas with bubbles make your mouth create more acid that can attack your tooth enamel. So, if you sip soda all day, it’s like covering your teeth in acid. Also, it can dry your mouth, meaning you have less saliva.
Dark-colored sodas can make your teeth change color or get stained. Always take your time brushing your teeth right after drinking soda. That can prevent tooth decay. Sodas are among the worst foods that are bad for your teeth.
Ice
If you think it’s okay to chew on ice because it’s just frozen water. Then you are wrong. The American Dental Association says chewing on something hard like ice can hurt your tooth enamel. It can make you have dental problems like chipped or cracked teeth or loose crowns.
Add ice to cool your drinks, but it’s best not to chew on it. Try to resist the urge and go for cold drinks without ice instead.
Conclusion
Hope now you know the foods that are bad for your teeth. Avoid harmful and unhealthy foods to boost your dental and overall health. Always go for healthy products that help maintain a beautiful smile. Contact Dentalsway and learn more about what foods are good for your teeth and oral health.
