When it comes to the maintenance of your oral health, you know how crucial the consumption habits are. However, do you really know how various food items affect your oral health? If the answer is no, look no further because today we have compiled a list of the top 10 bad food items that you should avoid to ensure better oral health.
Alcoholic Beverages
If you are taking alcoholic beverages regularly, then you will have a dry mouth because almost all the alcoholic drinks decrease saliva production. Saliva protects our teeth from acidic content. When acid damages our tooth enamel, saliva repairs it in a process called remineralization. Besides, it also plays a critical role in washing away all the food items after meals. You are deprived of this crucial help if you have low saliva production, which makes your teeth vulnerable to infections.
Tea and coffee
Almost every one of us enjoys a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. And some of us wait for the warm cup in the afternoon, evening, and even late nights. But when it comes to your teeth, tea and coffee are among the biggest culprits in having healthy teeth.
Both tea and coffee cause noticeable stains on your teeth. They may get you going, but won’t make your teeth whiter. Consumption leads to extensive discoloration, leaving yellow and brown stains to your teeth. They further pose a threat to your teeth enamel and pave a path to all the other oral health diseases. In the long run, these stains can make you self-conscious, and you will lose your confidence level. The dentist in Newport Beach recommends all patients to limit the consumption of tea and coffee to one cup a day.
Sticky Candies
One thing is for sure – sugar can always cause tooth decay. That being said, sugar on its own is not the culprit. However, the chain of events that take place afterward causes trouble. Sticky sugar candies are a magnet for the harmful bacteria in your mouth. They stay longer in your mouth even after proper chewing. Candies may last for at least 10 minutes, which gives enough time for the sugar to absorb in your teeth and gums.
There is no surprise that candy is on our list of harmful food items for the teeth. But if the candy particles are stuck in your teeth and you do not floss and brush your mouth, the condition turns worst, and you are most likely to develop cavities.
Oranges and lemons
So here’s the pro tip – If you are drinking or eating items that are citrus-flavored, sour or carbonated, it’s always good to limit how much you consume. Acidic foods and nutritious things like citrus fruits, tomatoes, or lemons cause a negative effect on the tooth enamel, so it is good to eat them as part of the meal, not by themselves.
Oranges and lemons are rich in citric acid, and both of them are drivers for enamel erosion and tooth decay. If you are obsessed with lemons or orange juices, it’s good to limit consumption or avoid taking these drinks without water in between.
Dry fruits
If you love eating dry fruits, you will be surprised to see this item on our list. For so many health-conscious people, dry fruits are a go-to snack, but they are not super healthy. Dry fruits can damage your teeth as they contain sugar, and they stay on your teeth longer than the rest of the other food items.
If you eat dry fruits every day, rinse and floss your teeth with water after you eat them and carefully brush your teeth every day.
Potato chips
Who doesn’t love the nice crunch of the potato chips? Unless you brush and floss your teeth thoroughly every day, though, the starch content and mushy texture of the potato chips will be trapped in your teeth for hours. It can lead to plaque build-up; as a result, it will cause harm to your gums and teeth. Opting for crunchy raw vegetables instead is a healthy alternative.
Soda
The dentist in Newport Beach advised patients to swap out soda with water. When you sip sugary drinks or eat sugary food for an extended period, the plaque of bacteria will use the sugar component to produce acids that damage the enamel.
Most of the carbonated soft drinks contain acidic components, which are extremely bad for your oral health. Besides all caffeinated beverages, colas dry out your mouth. If you consume these drinks regularly, try to drink a glass of water in between.
Ice is for chilling, not chewing
Chances are you have crunched an ice cube or two recently, those little melted chips of frozen delight are hard to resist. The ice munching may not destroy your health, but the dental issues that come from chewing them are unending. You will suffer from problems like chipped and cracked teeth, damaged enamel, and issues with the existing dental work such as crowns and fillings.
Paying closer attention to the food you consume is critical for better oral health. Dentist in Newport Beach like F. Anthony Rich DDS can help you choose the best food items which ensure better oral health for you.