Do you enjoy those colorful crystal candies, lollipops, and the chewy ones? Me too! How about the citrus juices and drinks? But did you know that how these food and beverage choices may affect your teeth health? Here is the list of foods and drinks to avoid for strong and healthy teeth.
What to Avoid for Healthy Teeth
Your food and drink choices can have a major impact on your teeth health. Teeth worst foe is the acid, either contained in the food or produced by bacteria that linger in your mouth. Check out the unhealthy and harmful foods for teeth that may damage your teeth.
1. Chewy Sweets and Sugary Candies
Do have a sweet tooth? Then these sugary candies must be a strong temptation for you and not to forget the various colors and shapes of these gummy candies. But did you know that these chewy candies can cause dental cavities more than the other non-sticky candies?
These chewy candies tend to stick to your teeth for a longer time and produce an acidic substance that spreads and sticks to the teeth enamel therefore causes your teeth to weaken. This is because your saliva cannot contact that part of your tooth which is affected with the sticky thing in order to neutralize the acid, thus cause teeth exposed to sugar. Caramel, lollipop and hard candies are some of the culprits.
- If you are still tempted to eat these candies, don’t forget to brush your teeth afterwards.
2. Carbonated Drinks or Sodas
Carbonated drinks are full of added sugar. Artificially sweetened drinks contain acids such as citric and phosphoric, which wear away the tooth enamel. Such drinks may include canned ice tea, lemonade and other energy drinks. Drinking soda for an extended period of time or swishing it around your teeth might be harmful.
- Drinking some water right after consuming soda minimizes the acidic effect.
3. Crunching Ice
Although ice has no sugar content, but ice is tough. Some people just love crushing ice with their teeth, so did I when I was young. But people do not know that crunching ice can cause the nerves to react if they suffer dental sensitivity. Moreover, the tough ice can also cause your tooth to crack unexpectedly and cause serious problems.
4. Starchy Food
If you want to avoid tooth decay avoid starchy food. Starch is prone to be attacked by bacteria found in plaques. Foods that contain starch are as dangerous as a candy, and have a speedy effect on your teeth. This may include potato chips, bread, pasta and crackers.
- Brush your teeth well after consuming a starchy meal.
5. Lemon and Citrus Fruits
If you prefer sour to sweet, then it’s ok to eat citrus fruits. But sucking them up might ruin your teeth. Citrus fruits are quit acidic. By keeping the citrus juice for longer period of time in mouth you’ll let the enamel to wear right away. It’s better to use a straw to drink citrus juices.
- Avoid too much contact of juice to your teeth and always make sure to rinse your mouth after consuming it.
The list might surprise you. But to have strong, healthy teeth avoid these foods. Whatever you eat, just don’t forget to brush and floss after consuming for healthy dental health.