Oral Health No-No’s: Avoid These 5 Foods to Protect Your Teeth
STOP! Before you take that bite, make sure you’re not munching on any of these five foods. Your dental clinic Parramatta walks you through these cavity-forming culprits. Here’s what to avoid to keep your teeth bright, white, strong and cavity-free.
Sour candy
This one is a double-whammy. The sour component in sour candy is highly acidic. When acid sits on the surface of teeth, it strips the delicate enamel that protects teeth’s inner layers. Sugar is a well known cavity-causing ingredient; it feeds bacteria causing enamel-destroying acids.
Instead try: Chocolate. While still a confectionery, it is consumed faster, therefore spending less time sitting in your mouth. Choose dark chocolate as it contains less sugar than regular milk chocolate.
Carbonated Drinks
Bubbly soft drinks wreak havoc on teeth. Surprisingly, soft drinks dry out the mouth, disrupting pH balance and diminishing saliva production. Less saliva equals more acid. The most damaging carbonated drinks are also darkly coloured or highly pigmented, resulting in stains and discolouration.
Instead try: H2O. Dentists in Parramatta recommend water as the very best thing for you, rinsing residual food and acids, hydrating and boosting saliva production and neutralising pH levels.
Alcohol and caffeine
Unfortunately, alcohol and coffee are also terrible for our teeth. Drinking alcohol dries the mouth and reduces our bodies saliva production, and we need saliva as our body’s natural way of reducing tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath.
Caffeinated favourites- tea and coffee- stain teeth. Caffeine is also particularly acidic and dangerous for our enamel. To make matters worse, caffeine can leave you feeling jittery and mildly anxious, increasing the occurrence of jaw-clenching and grinding.
Instead try: Adding milk. If you’re hooked on your morning cuppa, opt for a milky drink instead of having it black. Milk is alkalising, and it will also help reduce the severity of staining. Choose tea over coffee.
Dried fruit
Dried fruit has an extremely high concentrated sugar content. It’s chewy, and sticky, therefore lingering in the mouth and between your teeth, contributing to tooth decay and the development of bacteria.
Instead try: Fresh fruit. It’s higher in fibre, lower in sugar, and is far less sticky than its dried counterpart. While berries are great for their low sugar content, apples are the #1 choice. You know what they say- an apple a day keeps the … dentist away!
Citrus
Citrus fruits are highly acidic, making our teeth vulnerable to decay. Snack on less acidic fruits and have for your water without a squeeze of lemon!
Instead try: Rinsing. You still need your recommended dose of Vitamin C, so instead of sipping OJ, choose whole, fresh fruit and make sure to rinse your mouth with water after eating. Also, avoid brushing your teeth immediately after consuming highly acidic foods or drinks. Acids soften enamel. Brushing while the enamel is soft and compromised will wear away the enamel even further, so rinse immediately and brush later.
Making simple changes to your food consumption habits can see huge benefits to your teeth and oral wellbeing. Follow these top 5 tips, and chat with Dental Avenue, your dentist in Parramatta, for more great tips on optimal oral health.
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