We are living in a world where a beautiful smile is considered very important in our daily lives and one thing every perfect smile needs are beautiful teeth. Regular dental check-ups, teeth brushing and flossing are a good way to keep your teeth healthy and white but it is also necessary to be careful what you eat.
Here is a list of food and beverages that you should avoid in order to have a perfect smile.
1. Coffee
If you’re a coffee drinker you should know that coffee is partly responsible for tooth decay. Large amounts of coffee can be bad for your teeth’s protective layer called enamel. The acidity in coffee can break down your enamel making your teeth vulnerable to disease and cavity formation.
Coffee can also dry your mouth and it is recommended that you drink or rinse your mouth with water after drinking in order to reduce the acidity in your mouth. The biggest issue with coffee is that most people add sugar to make it sweeter but more dangerous than its natural form.
2. Alcoholic drinks
Alcohol consumption is probably one of the biggest smile wreckers out there. Just like coffee, it reduces the saliva in your mouth which is important in removing plaque and bacteria. Apart from tooth decay alcohol can also create gum disease, mouth sores, and even mouth cancer.
A study has shown that alcohol increases the risk of oral cavity cancer.
3. Potato chips
We all sometimes enjoy the tasty crunchiness of potato chips. The sad news is that potato chips are filled with starch that later on turns into sugar between your teeth. This is an ideal place for bacteria to form that can lead to cavities. So every time you’re watching a movie and eating chips, like most of us do, make sure that you brush your teeth and floss afterward.
4. Sticky and sour sweets
If you’re in a mood to eat something sweet, better go for a bar of chocolate instead and wash it down with water. Sticky and sour sweets take a long time to chew so they hold on to your teeth for a long time and that’s why they cause tooth decay more easily.
Dentists always recommend these kinds of sweets to be avoided, especially for people with removable prosthodontics because they get stuck and can dislodge your teeth. Even if that happens, don’t panic, because professionals like Pindan Dental Laboratory can efficiently fix this. Sour sweets also contain a lot of different kinds of acids that can be tough on your teeth’s enamel. Always be sure to floss after eating.
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5. Bread
Most of us eat bread almost every day completely unaware of the impact it can have on our teeth. Bread, when chewed in combination with our saliva, breaks starches into sugar that can get stuck between your teeth and create cavities.
So if you’ve decided to eat something with carbs go for the whole wheat bread. These kinds have a lot less added sugars and won’t be broken down that easily.
6. Meat
It may be the truth that our teeth are designed for an omnivorous diet, but sometimes you have to be careful. Hard pieces of meat like steak are tasty but are hard to chew and can dislodge your teeth.
Meat can also get really stuck between your teeth and if you don’t floss afterward it can rapidly start tooth disease. The best way to eat it is by cutting it into small pieces and chewing them slowly.
7. Carbonated drinks
Carbonated drinks are probably one of the biggest enemies of your teeth. They are full of sugar and plaque bacteria uses it to create acids that are bad for your teeth’s enamel. It doesn’t matter if they have the word “diet” on them. Drinks like diet soda are full of acidity so it is clear they are just as devastating for your enamel.
Another study has shown that carbonated drinks in large quantities are just as devastating for your teeth as crack cocaine and methamphetamine. If you are consumer try to drink them with water and avoid brushing your teeth immediately after because it can actually hasten decay.
8. Citrus fruit
Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash
It may be surprising but citrus foods like lemons, oranges, and grapefruits aren’t that good for your teeth. Although they are rich in vitamin c, these fruits contain acidity that can erode your tooth enamel, especially lemons and grapefruits. Although oranges make the least damage, you should be careful with your daily intake and make sure to brush your teeth or floss after.
9. Hard candy
Let’s get it straight, no candy is good for you. Some are bad and some are less bad but hard candy is the worst thing for your teeth. The biggest problem is that children are the main consumers of this type of food so you should be careful what kind of candy your child eats. Hard candy is full of sugar and that’s a part of what makes them so hard.
They dissolve very slowly and this big amount of sugar actually feeds harmful bacteria in your mouth. These harmful bacteria can produce plaque that can easily lead to tooth decay. Another big issue is that due to its hardness hard candy can damage or even break your teeth.
So if you’re a candy lover make sure to wash your mouth, floss and brush your teeth afterward and lower your candy consumption to a minimum.
