There are certain foods and beverages that you should avoid if you want strong and healthy teeth. This article gives a brief overview. Enjoy this quick guide from your local dentist.
Grain Foods
Grain foods are supposed to be healthy, aren’t they? Maybe – for everything but the teeth. Wheat, barley, and other grains contain gluten and phytic acid. These are hard for the body to digest. As they pass through the digestion system, they extract calcium and other minerals. This results in loss of minerals in your teeth with time. The enamel becomes more susceptible to erosion.
Grains are acidic and stimulate growth of bad bacteria in your mouth. The effect of grains on teeth is more damaging than you may believe. It may well be that eliminating them from your diet completely is the best thing you can do. A study on indigenous tribes’ oral health found that those with perfect teeth ate the least or no grain.
Carbonated Drinks
Soft drinks deserve a top spot among offenders. Many people tend to overlook the role carbonated drinks play. They are the biggest source of added sugar among teens and children. It’s a fact that sugar is terrible for the teeth. Sugar is the main culprit for cavities and tooth decay.
Medication and Alcohol
While medication and alcohol are not food, they’re worth mentioning as two of the worst things for your teeth. While you can’t completely avoid all medication, you should drink more water because it makes your mouth dry. If you are going to be drinking or taking medication, get a gel or rinse that contains fluoride. This will clean the enamel.
Hard Candy
Hard candies are one of teeth’s biggest enemies. They seem harmless and are made to attract children’s attention. However, they are almost entirely made up of sugar. Stay away from them if you want to keep your teeth in good shape. If you must chew something, sugarless gum is a healthier alternative.
Coffee and Tea
Strong tea and coffee pose a certain risk to oral health. They stain the teeth and tend to come with at least one spoon of sugar. Coffee and tea contain tannin, which causes the staining, so drinking tea or coffee is harmful even without additives. If your teeth have become stained after years of overindulging, you might benefit from professional teeth whitening.
Ready-Made Sauce
Ready-made sauces are delicious and an easy way to enhance flavor. Lots of us grew up with Ranch dressing, sweet Asian sauces, Caesar salad dressing, 1000 Island, and the like. It’s the added ingredients that cause problems. Information like ‘less sodium’ or ’70 percent less fat’ seems very appealing on nutrition labels, but it’s misleading.
The “Perfect” Dip
Sweet and sour Asian sauce is the perfect dip for potstickers, egg rolls, shrimp, chicken nuggets, pork, and more. After you eat these, the sugar stays on and between your teeth. The bacteria in your oral cavity convert it to a tar-like substance called exopolysaccharide, which sticks to the enamel. Then, bacteria will stick to that. Bacteria can be very dangerous if you don’t take preventive measures. They will wreck copious amounts of damage to your gums and teeth.
How Can your Local Dentist Help?
Oradent Associates has made improving the Chicagoland community’s oral health a priority. We offer a large number of general dentistry and specialized services to improve oral health. We use state-of-the-art technology to provide a quality of care on par with the highest standards. Give Oradent, your friendly local dentist, a call now.