7 Foods And Drinks Your Teeth Don’t Love!
Different foodstuffs and their adverse effects on your oral health.
Your taste-buds love lots of different food and drink, and it sure is fun exploring the next taste sensation isn’t it?
The problem is, what your taste-buds love, your teeth may not love just as much.
Here are seven food and drinks your teeth definitely don’t love!
Coffee & Tea
Coffee and tea stain teeth over time. Drinking too much can really darken your smile to the point where you may need to consider teeth whitening to help reverse the effects.
Sugary Drinks
No surprise here, sugary drinks are terrible for the teeth. Fizzy pop and sports drinks are bad for the teeth because they are high sugar and high acid. This ‘acid and sugar’ effect is even worse when we sip these drinks slowly over a few hours. If you can’t give up completely, please have them as occasional treats, and any drinks you are going to sip slowly should be sugar-free.
Hard Sweeties
Hard sweeties slowly release sugar and acid; the ‘nasty’ combination we just discussed above. And when they stick to your teeth, the negative effects are worsened!
Alcohol
Alcohol can be very bad for the teeth because it reduces your natural saliva production. Saliva is important as it helps wash away any bad bacteria and food debris in our mouth, so helping to protect the teeth. Alcohol is also known to irritate the mouth. Sugary alcoholic drinks like fruity cider and alco-pops deliver a double whammy because they compromise the mouth with alcohol and sugar at the same time.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruits are definitely preferable to sugary, processed treats, but they do still have a high sugar content. They are also very sticky, adhering to your teeth and releasing sugar progressively on which your natural oral bacteria feed, creating an acid which erodes your teeth. Fresh fruit is a suitable alternative and, although it can be fairly high in natural sugars, won’t stick to the teeth as much.
Citrus & Acidic Food
Oranges, tomatoes and any other high acid food are not particularly good for the teeth but can be buffered with water after you have eaten them. Sucking on lemons (don’t laugh, plenty of people do this because they think it whitens their teeth) is particularly bad news.
Starchy Food
Bread, crackers and other starchy food are very ‘gluey’ when chewed and easily get stuck in between the teeth. The bacteria in your mouth then feast on the food debris leading to plaque acid and eventual decay.
Get More Healthy Eating Tips During Your Checkup At Abbey Road Dental in St John’s Wood
When you visit our St John’s Wood clinic for your checkup, we will be pleased to give you more tips about caring for your teeth. At Abbey Road Dental we are passionate about giving patients the advice they need to care for their teeth in between visits to us. Are you overdue a checkup? Do you need to register with a dentist? Please call us on 02076241603 and we will book you in. We look forward to seeing you at our convenient local practice in St John’s Wood.