Generally speaking, in the context of oral health, you are really what you cram into your mouth. If you love munching starchy and sticky foods or sipping on sugary beverages, you are not only feeding yourself. In fact, you will also be feeding the bacteria, which triggers plaque accumulation. For those who might not be in the know, plaque happens to be a thin, invisible film that engulfs the surface of teeth. When sugar mixes up with plaque, the resulting acids that are formed begin to attack your teeth. If such attacks are repeated for some time, your tooth enamel will break down, which in the long run leads to experiencing dental carries (tooth decay). On the other hand, the bacteria present in plaque can cause an inflammatory reaction that can result in the breakdown of the gum tissue, jawbone and other vital structures in your oral cavity. Well then here are the top foods to avoid to ensure dental health and wellbeing.
Hardy candy may seem innocuous enough, but eating plenty of it greatly heightens exposure to sugar, which is too detrimental to your teeth. At the same time, overindulging in hardy candy will put your teeth at an increased risk of breaking off or even chipping off. Both of which are dental health medical emergencies.
Most of the varieties of dried fruits that are currently available in the market are normally sticky in nature and can damage your teeth. It is important to take note of the fact that sticky foods usually cling to the teeth for a much more longer time than other types of foodstuffs.
Citrus fruits and juices
Taking great delight in munching citrus fruits or sipping the juices made of them, will be invariably exposing your teeth to plenty of acid. In the long run, highly acidic foods have been known to erode the tooth enamel. This will make your teeth more susceptible to tooth decay that is the precursor of cavities. Therefore, in spite of regarding a “squeeze” of lemon into your glass of water is awesome, it is never good to your overall oral health. Also, eating citrus fruits or drinking citrus juices, can irritate your oral cavity, if you have sores in it.
Crunchy foods such as potato chips are noted for been crammed to the gills with starch, which ends up been lodged in between the teeth. This food particle buildup almost always snowballs plaque accumulation on the surfaces of your teeth, and eventually ends up in the eroding of tooth enamel.
Coffee, in its natural state, is indeed a very refreshing and healthy beverage that most of us love drinking. However, when you decide to add sugar into the mix, things can begin to take a turn for the worse in terms of your dental health. Additionally, when you frequently indulge in sipping on coffee, your teeth can start to be stained in the long term. When it comes to caffeinated coffee in the context of oral health, it tends to dry up the oral cavity.
Having the urge to sip on sugary drinks such as sodas is never good for your dental health. When the sugar present in these soft drinks makes contact with the bacteria found in the mouth, plaque buildup is usually the ultimate result. Like it has been severally noted in this article, this sugar is then converted into acid which attacks the tooth enamel. It is noteworthy to state that almost all carbonated soft drinks, even the diet varieties, possess some acid, and are subsequently detrimental to your teeth. On the other hand, caffeinated soft drinks such as colas are not ideal alternatives as they can dry up the oral cavity excessively. This eliminates saliva, which is the natural defense against plaque causing bacteria.
Energy drinks or sports drinks as they are sometimes called might appear, at face value, to be healthy beverages, but sugar is one of the active ingredients in their formulations. Granted, these types of drinks can be especially helpful when you engage in vigorous and protracted physical exertions. Nevertheless, they are completely detrimental to the overall health of your oral cavity. So, prior to buying any energy drink, always take the time needed to check its label and determine if its sugar content is low enough to protect your teeth.
Always brush your teeth after eating and after drinking anything that has sugars in it. Make sure to visit the dental office twice a year for teeth cleaning and oral screening.