Even with brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day, sometimes it’s not enough. For oral health, you also need to watch out on the foods and drinks you consume. Most foods and drinks can cause plaque, which can damage your teeth.
Plaque is a sticky substance that forms a film around the teeth and gums. It results from the bacterial activity of food remains in the mouth. It can further lead to cavities, gingivitis, and other dental diseases.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
To avoid gum disease, chewing problems, tooth sensitivity, and tooth abscesses, avoid the following foods and beverages.
1. Alcohol
Alcohol not only causes damage to the liver but also your oral health because it causes dry mouth. Lack of saliva in the mouth is a danger to the health of your mouth.
Saliva is essential as it cleans food particles from the mouth and prevents food remains from sticking. It also helps prevent gum disease and other oral infections. The mouth, therefore, needs to be hydrated all the time.
To avoid damaging your teeth, use oral hydration solutions and drink plenty of water.
2. Ice
You might think that crunching on ice is a harmless habit. Ice keeps you fresh, hydrated, and has no calories. However, chewing ice and other similar hard substances causes stress on your teeth and gums, which can damage your enamel.
This can cause further problems such as fractured, cracked, or chipped teeth. A better alternative is to drink chilled water. You can use ice on your beverages but don’t chew it.
3. Potato Chips
While potato chips may be a quick snack to satisfy your cravings and top up your energy levels, they can cause a lot of damage.
When you chew potatoes, they break into small pieces. These quickly get stuck and compacted into the crevices and grooves of your teeth. Because potatoes have loads of starch, they attract bacteria, which cause plaque. This results in acid production in the mouth that also damages the teeth.
4. Dried Fruits
A dry fruit snack in the middle of your day might seem better than potato chips. However, they are equally harmful.
Fruits contain high levels of a sugar known as fructose. With dried fruits, there are concentrated fructose levels. The fructose easily sticks to the teeth and gums, which in turn causes plaque.
Nuts are a great alternative to raisins. They have less sugar, are rich in proteins, and make you feel full for longer.
5. Carbonated Drinks
Drinking large quantities of soda brings more harm than good to the human body. Experts from Hamptons Dental have now established that carbonated beverages are a more significant threat to teeth than cocaine.
Chemicals in carbonated soda catalyse plaque to produce more acid. This acid attacks the enamel. Drinking soda is basically attacking your teeth with acid.
You may already be thinking that you can brush your teeth immediately after drinking soda. This is highly dangerous as it can cause rapid decay. Additionally, soda dries your mouth and discolours your teeth.
6. Citrus Fruits
While lemons, oranges, and grapefruit might give our bodies essential vitamin C, their acid content can erode the enamel, making the teeth susceptible to decay. Additionally, the acid may lead to bothersome sores in the gum.
A great alternative would be to have vitamins and antioxidants in moderation at mealtime. You should also drink plenty of water.
7. Sour Candy
You might have already known that candy causes harm to the teeth. However, sour candy produces more acids that weaken our teeth. This type of candy is sticky, so it easily forms plaque.
Avoid these foods and drinks to prevent tooth decay, plaque, and gum disease among other problems. Get in touch with us at Hamptons Dental for professional advice and assistance.