Worst Foods For Oral Health

Eating a balanced diet and limiting your intake of sweets, processed foods, and sugary drinks can help you maintain strong, healthy teeth and gums. However, there are some foods that can do more harm than good. Listed below are some of these foods.

• Sugary foods and drinks

Candies, gummies, soda, and juice all contain sugar that sticks to your teeth. This promotes tooth decay by feeding oral bacteria. Plaque cannot be removed by brushing alone when it’s stuck between your teeth. Only a professional cleaning can remove it. Instead of sugary snacks, eat water-rich fruits such as apples or pears for a healthy alternative. Water will also help rinse away any food residue and reduce the risk of decay.

• Acidic foods and drinks

Some food and drinks are acidic, which means they have a high pH level. However, your teeth don’t benefit from a high-acid diet. Acidic foods and drinks can eventually wear away your enamel and expose the dentin underneath. Cavities form when the bacteria in your mouth feed on these sugars and produce acids as a waste product. This acid eats away at your teeth.

• Starchy foods

While many people enjoy a bowl of delicious pasta or a slice of bread with butter on it every once in a while, these foods are incredibly damaging to the teeth and gums and should be avoided as much as possible. Starchy foods break down into simple sugars as soon as they have contact with saliva in the mouth and the acid that is produced by oral bacteria then begins to attack the enamel of the teeth. This weakens the enamel over time, making cavities much more likely. If you can’t avoid eating starches like potatoes, corn, pretzels, etc., try to eat them only in moderation and have them along with foods that are good for your teeth, like cheese, milk, or other dairy products. In addition, if you eat these foods, be sure to drink some water right after to help rinse away any lingering sugar from the mouth.

• Alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide. It can also be one of the most damaging to the teeth and gums. The combination of acidic and sugar content of alcoholic drinks can erode tooth enamel and cause cavities or tooth decay. A dry mouth is also a common side effect of consuming alcohol; when the mouth is dry, it’s easier for acids to form in the mouth. The acid then eats into the teeth to cause damage. Research shows that even just a couple of glasses of wine per week can have negative impacts on overall oral health. This is why it’s important to drink plenty of water when drinking alcohol. This will help rinse out your mouth and help manage dry mouth. It also helps to dilute the sugar and acid content in the beverage. 

• Sports drinks

Sports drinks are not good for teeth. They can cause erosion and wear of the tooth’s surface by dissolving the protective hard tissues of teeth. Over time, this can expose the sensitive inner layer of the tooth, which can result in increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods and even pain. Erosion can also allow bacteria underneath the gum line which can increase the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. It’s also important to note that energy drinks are often laced with extra caffeine and sugar, making them even more harmful to teeth and overall health.

• Candies

Candy causes cavities for a number of reasons. It sticks to your teeth for a prolonged period of time as you chew it, and the sugar is highly acidic. Additionally, the stickiness factor makes plaque buildup more likely, which is a major cause of tooth decay. 

To learn more oral-care tips from the experts at Homeland Dental, contact our dentist in Greensboro and his team at (336) 272-0132 or visit our office located at 1037 Homeland Ave, Greensboro, NC 27405. We will be happy to help you!