Healthier food choices have oral gains because what you eat also affects your oral health. Foods and beverages can cause plaque that leads to tooth decay and gum disease. When you eat certain foods, bacteria gather, and plaque forms on the surface of the teeth. The bacteria release acids when they come into contact with starchy and sugary foods. These acids could erode the tooth enamel causing cavities, breakdown of supporting structures of your teeth, and gum disease (gingivitis). Gum disease and cavities will significantly impair how you chew and lead to tooth abscesses.
Here is a look at some foods you should avoid.
Sour Candies
Sour candies are popular owing to their taste and chewy nature. However, sour brands are more harmful to your teeth than other candy brands. They are highly acidic and chewy. Thus your teeth are exposed to acidity for an extended period.
Acidity erodes the enamel, thus exposing you to cavities, and the enamel is compromised at an acidic pH level of 4.0. With that in mind, let us look at the pH scale.
The scale runs from 0 to 14, with 7 as the neutral point. Acidic substances fall below 7 while alkaline substances range from above 7 to 14. Water has a pH level of 7, battery acid has a 1.0 mark, and most sour candies have a pH level below 5.5. For example, Spree candies have a pH level of 3, 2.2 for the Sour Skittles, and 1.6 for the Warheads Spray candy.
Couple the high acidic content of the sour candies with their chewy nature, and you thus expose your teeth to an acidic level over an extended period, thus causing enamel erosion. Some of the symptoms you will likely experience include:
- Sensitive teeth — Have you ever experienced tooth pain when you consume hot, cold, or sweet foods? If yes, you have sensitive teeth, and tooth erosion is the likely culprit
- Discoloration — Yellowing is indicative of teeth discoloration
- Transparency — Teeth transparency is evident at the teeth edges
- Cavities — When the enamel is eroded, the inner parts of your teeth will be exposed and appear as dents. This will require dental fillings.
- Tooth decay — Decay is the end-stage of tooth cavities. At this point, you could lose your tooth. Your dentist will best advise you on the ideal approach.
Interestingly, candies were meant to be occasional treats. Given that many consume candy daily, immediate withdrawal can hit hard. Therefore, you can brush and rinse your mouth immediately after devouring the candies as you work to exclude them from your diet.
Bread
Bread could come as a surprise. After all, it is part of the breakfast ritual in many homes and part of other foods like burgers and hotdogs. Yes, bread is harmful to your teeth.
White bread especially is packed with sugar. When chewed, it is transformed into a sugary paste that easily sticks to your teeth, with some portions easily fitting through the gaps between your teeth and into the gums. Diligent brushing and flossing are vital in removing the remnants of the bread from your mouth. However, in most cases, bread is consumed on the go, and most cannot brush or floss immediately after.
Bread causes cavities that develop over time.
Opt for the less-refined varieties like whole wheat or seeded brands if you must have bread. They are highly nutritious, contain less sugar, and are not easily broken down like ordinary white bread.
Carbonated Drinks
Various studies have determined that carbonated drinks are harmful. They are a significant contributor to the type 2 diabetes and obesity problems many people face due to the drink's sugar content. Further studies have linked carbonated beverages to dental erosion, a problem individuals who abuse illicit drugs like cocaine or methamphetamines experience.
Carbonated drinks contain acids and sugars. Both have acidogenic and cariogenic potential, where acidogenic refers to producing acid, causing acidity, or releasing bacteria that thrive in an acidic environment, and cariogenic refers to promoting or causing tooth decay.
Evey gulp of soda you consume releases sugar into your mouth that interacts with bacteria to form an acid. The acid then damages your teeth. Take note that even the drinks advertised as sugar-free compromise your teeth. They contain acids that affect your teeth over time. So with every sip, you trigger a chemical reaction that can last up to 20 minutes. The consequences are dental erosion and cavities.
Dental erosion occurs when the drink destroys the enamel, the outermost protective layer of your teeth. This compromise exposes the teeth to further destruction through cavities. Cavities develop over time and are further exacerbated when you fail to practice proper oral hygiene.
You can take a few steps to avoid tooth damage through carbonated drinks.
Aim for eliminating carbonated beverages from your diet. If you cannot do it immediately, consider the following:
- Limit your intake, aiming to eliminate the drink from your diet
- Drink quickly — The longer the beverage stays in your mouth, the more time it has to destroy your teeth.
- Rinse your mouth with water after taking a soft drink. Then, brush your teeth at the earliest opportunity, preferably 30 to 60 minutes after consuming a drink.
- Visit your dentist regularly.
Dried Fruits
Fruits like raisins, apricots, prunes, and figs, to name a few, have become the go-to options for many in the quest to adopt healthy diet options. These fruits contain highly concentrated sugar. Add their texture and chewy properties, and you have fruits that easily stick to your teeth and expose your teeth to potent sugar levels for a long time.
Dried fruits cause plaque buildup, especially if consumed in significant portions without brushing your teeth soon after. Plaque is a fuzzy film you will notice on your tongue and teeth after consuming a meal and taking considerable time before brushing your teeth. The colorless or slightly yellow film accumulates with every food or fluid intake.
Plaque forms anywhere between four to twelve hours after a meal and forms along the gumline.
Ideally, stay away from dried fruits and opt for healthy substitutes like nuts, vegetables, and non-acidic fruits. If you do have to go for the dried fruits, reduce your intake both in frequency and quantity and rinse your mouth with water immediately after consuming said fruits.
Potato Chips
Their crunchy nature and taste make potato chips a go-to snack for many.
Potato chips are starch. Once broken down, the chips find their way between teeth and can remain there for a while. This exposes your teeth to an acidic environment, thus increasing the risk of tooth decay.
The sugar in the chips feeds the plaque and bacteria. As you increase the chips you consume, so does the amount of sugar the plaque and bacteria have access to. Additionally, you will also experience dry mouth with potato chips. Chips absorb a significant quantity of saliva, thus causing dryness. Saliva helps repair early signs of oral infections that could result in tooth decay and gum disease.
Potato chips have no health benefits. It is thus best to eliminate them from your diet. Remember to rinse your mouth with water and brush and floss your teeth soonest.
Citrus
Acidity causes tooth erosion and decay. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that acidic foods like citrus could impact your teeth over time. While lime, lemon, grapefruits, and oranges are tasty and rich in Vitamin C, repeated exposure erodes the enamel. With time, you could experience tooth decay.
After eating an orange or drinking lime or lemon water, do your teeth feel sensitive?
If so, this indicates eroded enamel. It is best to visit your dentist to have your teeth checked.
Further, citrus leads to yellowing teeth. Additionally, you could experience mouth sores, especially in your gum line. Over time, your gums are likely to become more sensitive and receding.
Moderation is vital when consuming citrus foods. Their added health benefits cannot be understated. Thus, it is not ideal to eliminate citric foods from your diet. Further, rinsing your mouth with water after consuming citric foods will reduce the acidic content in the mouth.
Ice
Ice is sugar-free, has no additives, and after all, it is just water, so it poses no harm to your teeth, right?
Wrong. Ice destroys your teeth when you chew it. Crunching the ice wears down your teeth and destroys the enamel. Some have even reported seeing cracked chips of their teeth after chewing on ice.
Ice crunching could result in broken teeth, loosened crowns, all dental emergency cases.
Cold beverages are soothing. However, should you use ice, it is best not to crunch it if you use ice. Also, take note of your experience with cold drinks. Should your teeth feel sensitive after consuming a cold drink, it is best to stay away from the cold drinks. Ensure you consult your dentist for assistance if you experience tooth sensitivity.
Coffee and Tea
For all coffee and tea lovers, be aware that these beverages could discolor and destroy your teeth for all coffee and tea lovers.
If you pay close attention to coffee and tea lovers, you will notice the yellowing of their teeth. Prolonged tea and coffee consumption discolors your teeth.
Teeth destruction by coffee or tea occurs in two ways:
- When you add sugar to your favorite beverage, you increase the acidic levels in your mouth, as pointed out earlier, thus exposing your teeth to destruction and decay.
- Caffeine dehydrates your body and especially your mouth. After consuming tea or coffee, there is an urge to drink water to hydrate your mouth. Caffeine absorbs the saliva, and the lack of saliva will hasten tooth decay.
Additionally, you have to worry about bad breath with every gulp of coffee or tea.
While the above dental issues are a cause for concern, you do not have to abandon your favorite beverage. It is best to be mindful of your consumption, avoid using sugar, and drink plenty of water afterward.
Sports Drinks
Spot drinks were created as a rehydration alternative for athletes engaged in high-intensity physical activities. The drinks increase metabolism and concentration. Their popularity increased uptake among amateur athletes. Thanks to the push for healthy living, there is noticeable uptake of the drinks among non-athletes engaged in physical activity.
Little focus has been brought to the contents of the drinks, particularly sugar and acids present in the beverage. Most drinks have a pH level below 5.5. Therefore, extended use of the beverages exposes your enamel to erosion. Further, the brightly colored dyes in the drinks stain your teeth.
A recent study by DR. Mark Wolff, a professor and the chair of New York University College of Dentistry's Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care, established a link between sports drink consumption and tooth erosion and hypersensitivity. His research team dunked cow teeth in sports drinks. After an hour, the teeth softened, and the enamel eroded.
Further studies supported Dr. Mark Wolff’s findings and linked the beverage to gum disease.
If you are looking for energy boosters, consider alternatives with zero sugar and acids. Consult widely before settling on one.
Table Sugar and Sweeteners
As pointed out before, sugar is an enemy of oral health. Therefore, table sugar and artificial sweeteners feature the worst foods for your teeth list.
While sugar is also naturally occurring in foods like fruits, the levels are far lower than in processed sugar and artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup. Sources of natural sugar also contain protective compounds like fibers and minerals. Combined, all the foods stimulate salivary flow in the mouth, which goes a long way in protecting your teeth and gums.
Studies have shown a correlation between dental decay and consumption of artificial sugars, especially in kids.
It is in your best interest to eliminate artificial sugars from your diet.
Alcoholic Beverages
The starch content in beer and sugar in the wine follows a similar pattern: tooth decay and exposure to gum disease. Additionally, alcohol poses a risk of oral cancer, thus incorporating hard liquor into the list. Alcohol affects the mouth’s lining making the mouth more vulnerable to cancer-promoting compounds.
With every sip of alcohol, you increase your exposure to cancer that could affect your larynx, mouth, and pharynx, as evidenced in a report by the International Agency for Research of Cancer.
Further, alcohol causes your mouth to dry, thus increasing the risk of diseases associated with a dry mouth. People with extended alcohol use, especially those with alcohol disorders, develop gum lesions, gum disease, and cavities.
It is best to drink in moderation and regularly hydrate when drinking alcohol.
Breath Mints
Bad breath is a concern for many, and rightly so. Breath mints end up as a possible solution. After all, they are treats advertised as a solution for bad breath. However, these treats can damage your teeth since their primary content is sugar. We suck the treats for a long time, and bacteria thrive in this environment.
Next time you look for a breath mint, check the label for the ingredients. If it contains sugar, avoid it.
Bottom Line
With an understanding of foods that pose a significant risk to your oral health, some of the healthier alternatives you could incorporate into your diet include the following. These foods promote oral health.
- Fiber-rich vegetables and fruits — Fiber-rich foods promote saliva flow. Saliva contains phosphate and calcium. Additionally, it restores minerals to areas of the teeth that lost said minerals because of bacterial acids.
- Cheese, plain yogurt, milk, and dairy products — Non-vegans can also incorporate animal products into their diet. Cheese, plain yogurt, milk, and other dairy products facilitate saliva flow in addition to the protein continent essential to your body. Additional minerals like calcium in the products and bone broth help restore damaged enamel.
- Foods with fluoride — Seafood and poultry products are high in fluoride, among other minerals, and they are naturally occurring. Consuming these foods improves your overall oral health.
In addition to watching what you eat, you need to incorporate additional measures to improve your oral health. They include:
- Visiting your dentist regularly
- Flossing at least once a day
- Brushing your teeth at least twice a day
- Drinking plenty of water to remain hydrated
- Limit your in-between meal snacking and choose healthy snack options
Contact a Dental Expert Near Me
The mouth is the first contact point with the food you consume. Your oral health should be of concern and paramount consideration. We can all agree that most American diet choices contain a significant quantity of added sugar. A large portion of the population suffers from cavities, gum disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease owing to consuming foods with significant added sugars.
By staying away from sugar-filled foods, you decrease the risk of suffering from gum disease or cavities. By adopting healthier food options, brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing, and visiting your dentist regularly, you are on the right track to fostering a healthier, disease-free mouth.
At Tarzana Dental Care, we offer clients the best dental care services in . Give us a call today at 818-708-3232 for a dental consultation.