A healthy diet’s role in maintaining good oral hygiene is well-documented. But are you fully aware of how some foods can affect your dental health? Here’s our oral surgeons’ top-10 list of foods you should avoid in maintaining those pearly whites.
1. Hard Candies
To start, biting or chewing hard candies leaves you vulnerable to chipping or breaking a tooth. Additionally, the sticky remains of sugary candy are harder to clean, making your teeth more susceptible to cavities.
2. Sodas
Carbonated sodas trigger a chemical reaction in the mouth that allows dental plaque to create more acid. This acid then breaks down tooth enamel, leading to discoloration and rapid decay.
3. Potato Chips
As yummy as chips are, they’re full of starch. As you munch these snacks, the starch turns to sugar, then becomes trapped between your teeth to feed bacteria, thus promoting acid and decay.
4. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits and their acidity wreak havoc on tooth enamel, your teeth’s natural defense. Although these natural foods have health benefits, consume them with caution. We recommend after eating lemons, oranges, or limes, you should rinse your mouth with water thoroughly.
5. Bread
Like potato chips, bread contains starch, which breaks down into sugar. When you consume bread, the sugar becomes a gummy, sticky paste that lodges between the teeth to promote decay.
6. Alcohol
Alcohol cuts saliva production and leaves your mouth dry. Saliva is necessary to rinse your teeth naturally and keep them free from acid and bacteria. It also keeps your mouth free from oral infections to keep your teeth healthy.
7. Ice
Ice is only frozen water, so where’s the harm? If you have a habit of chewing on ice cubes, you can fracture or break a tooth or crack enamel. Ice can also loosen crowns, leading to an expensive visit to your dentist.
8. Fruit Juice
You may think of fruit juice as a healthy snack, but it contains plenty of natural sugars. Some fruit juices contain as much sugar as sodas. If you can’t resist your morning orange juice, be sure to rinse your mouth with water afterward.
9. Fried Foods
Battered and fried foods are rich in chemical compounds like oxysterols, acrylamide, and acrolein, which are not only harmful to your heart but can lodge between your teeth and increase decay. If you must chow down on some tasty fried chicken, make sure you brush your teeth afterward.
10. Pickles
Pickles can be the worst nightmare for your oral health. Mixing vegetables with vinegar creates a potent acidic compound, promoting enamel erosion and a severe risk to your teeth.
This list is only scratching the surface of foods to be aware of for proper oral care. If you have any questions about keeping your teeth healthy and brilliant, contact us at Hill Country Oral Surgeons. Our goal is to help you preserve your beautiful smile.
