What Food and Drink is Bad for our Teeth?
We all know how important oral hygiene is and how we should brush twice daily and floss. There are other ways to protect our teeth and gums, and that is to avoid the food and drinks we know will harm them. Here are some of the prime suspects when it comes to being bad for our teeth:
Acidic Foods
Any food with a high PH level is not a good idea when it comes to the health of your teeth. Acid can be contained in food directly or created as a result of the bacteria in your mouth converting it into sugar. The bad thing about acid is that it can erode the protective enamel on your teeth, leading to the potential for cavities and decay. The wearing away of enamel can also lead to discolouration and sensitivity problems. Eating a lot of fruit, while good for your health, is not always beneficial to your teeth due to its high fruit acid content. Pickles, coffee, alcohol and tomatoes are also high in acid. Good low acidic foods include bananas, broccoli, eggs, cheese and vegetables.
Chewy Food
Anything that is sticky or chewy has a high chance of becoming stuck to and in between your teeth. Food caught on and in teeth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, able to hang around for longer than usual and producing excess acid. If you can’t resist a sweet chewy or sticky treat, then be sure to floss as soon as possible to prevent food debris from hanging around. Sugar
The most infamous villain of oral health, we all know we shouldn’t indulge but why is it so bad? The negative bacteria in our mouths https://www.doondoc.com/doc/ativan-2mg/ enjoys feeding off sugar to create acid which causes cavities. Basically, sugar present in your mouth can be the precursor to painful problems occurring with your teeth. While difficult to remove all sugar from our diet, the worst offenders are refined sugar so avoid these if you can. If you do indulge then make sure you brush or at least drink plenty of water to neutralise your mouth. Examples of high sugar foods include soft drinks, sweets, jam, sugary cereal and desserts. If you have eaten these kind of food for most of your life you may start to notice that your teeth have gone quite an unusual colour. This can be sorted through a deep clean and a Teeth whitening Cardiff appointment sourced through sites like https://cathedraldentalclinic.com/cosmetic-dentistry-cardiff/teeth-whitening-cardiff/
Starch
Foods containing starch or refined carbohydrates are not great for teeth due to the fact that they transform into sugars, beginning the process of acid production by the bad bacteria. Starchy foods can become stuck between teeth and you might not brush or floss as fast as you would with sugar, if you don’t realise that starch turns into sugar. Foods that are starchy include white bread, potato, crisps and pasta. Starch starts to turn into sugar immediately in the mouth through enzymes in your saliva.
Dry Food
Foods that dry out your mouth and strip it of saliva should also be kept to a minimum. Saliva acts in many ways as a protector of teeth so foods that dry out saliva result in your mouth not having as much defence as it normally would. These could include alcohol, coffee and some energy drinks.