It is said that you are what you eat and teeth displays it all.There are many foods and beverages that can cause plaque and does serious damage to your teeth. Plaque is a bacteria-filled sticky film that contributes to gum disease and tooth decay. After you eat a sugary snack or meal, the sugars cause the bacteria to release acids that attack tooth’s enamel. When the enamel breaks down, cavities can develop.
Cavities are the most common chronic disease that cause complications like pain, chewing problems, and tooth abscesses. Avoiding brushing or flossing of teeth will harden the plaque and turn into tartar. Tartar above the gums can lead to gingivitis, an early form of gum disease.
Besides brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing and visiting a dentist regularly, try to avoid or limit the foods below.
1. Sour Candies
Candy is bad for your mouth. But sour candy contains more and different kinds of acids that are tougher on teeth.Since they’re chewy, they stick to your teeth for a longer time, so they’re more likely to cause decay. If you’re craving sweets,grab a square of chocolate instead, which you can chew quickly and wash away easily.
2. Bread
When you chew bread, your saliva breaks down the starches into sugar. Now transformed into a gummy paste-like substance, the bread sticks to the crevices between teeth. And that can cause cavities. When you’re craving some carbs, aim for less-refined varieties like whole wheat. These contain less added sugars and aren’t as easily broken down.
3. Alcohol
Drinking alcohol isn’t exactly healthy. But did you realize that when you drink, you dry out your mouth?A dry mouth lacks saliva,which we need to keep our teeth healthy. Saliva prevents food from sticking to your teeth and washes away food particles. It even helps repair early signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral infections. To help keep your mouth hydrated, drink plenty of water and use fluoride rinses and oral hydration solutions.
4. Carbonated Drinks
Drinking large quantities of carbonated soda could be as damaging to your teeth as using methamphetamine and crack cocaine.Carbonated sodas enable plaque to produce more acid to attack tooth enamel.Dark-colored sodas can discolor or stain your teeth.
5. Ice
Chewing on a hard substance can damage enamel and make you susceptible to dental emergencies such as chipped,cracked, or broken teeth, or loosened crowns. You can use your ice to chill beverages, but don’t chew on it. To resist the urge, opt for chilled water or drinks without ice.
6. Citrus fruits
Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons are tasty as both fruits and juices, and are packed with vitamin C. But their acid content can erode enamel, making teeth more vulnerable to decay. Even squeezing a lemon or lime into water adds acid to a drink. Plus, acid from citrus can be bothersome to mouth sores. If you want to get a dose of their antioxidants and vitamins, eat and drink them in moderation at mealtime and rinse with water afterward.
7. Potato Chips
Potato chip are loaded with starch,which becomes sugar that can get trapped in and between the teeth and feed the bacteria in the plaque. Since we rarely have just one, the acid production from the chips lingers and lasts awhile. After you’ve gorged on a bag, floss to remove the trapped particles.
8. Dry Fruits
Dry fruits are a healthy snack but many dried fruits like apricots,prunes, figs, and raisins, are sticky. They get stuck and cling in the teeth and their crevices, leaving behind lots of sugar.Rinse your mouth with water, and then brush and floss after having dry fruits to avoid accumulation of sugar.