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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

6 Foods That Hurt Your Teeth (Some of These Will Surprise You!)

by Eric Bailey

When it comes to your dental health, brushing and flossing aren't enough. You can't just eat whatever you want and brush it off at bedtime. Some foods will damage your teeth as you chew and others will damage your teeth from the inside of your body. Here are some foods and drinks that should be avoided as much as possible for the health of your teeth.

Flavored Coffee

Coffee in its most natural form is a healthy choice in moderation, but drinking flavored and sweetened coffee on a regular basis is bad for your teeth. If you are drinking lattes all day long to function, the sugar from the flavoring is eating away your teeth until you brush. Make sure if you do drink flavored coffee, you are drinking water in between cups to wash it away.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit is a common healthy food choice these days. People are dehydrating their own fruit or buying packs of it from the store. Dehydrated fruit works well as a snack because it can be eaten easily on the go and doesn't go bad as quickly as fresh fruit. The problem is that it's sugary and sticky, and sticky foods are some of the worst things for your teeth. Small pieces of it will stick to your teeth all day long until you brush your teeth.

Soda

Soda is one of the worst things you can drink. It's not only sugary, it's acidic as well. As you sip on your soda throughout the day, the acid eats away at your enamel while the sugar multiplies harmful bacteria that causes cavities. This dynamic duo is a recipe for disaster. If you refuse to give up the soda, make sure you have a cup of water beside it. Sipping on the water throughout the time that you drink your soda will help wash away the sugar and acid. Once you're completely finished, brush your teeth.

Processed Carbs

Processed carbs such as bread, pasta, and crackers aren't good for your teeth. Many people don't realize that carbs are sugar. As you eat your sandwich or crackers, your saliva is already starting to process it into sugar. Wash down your food with some water if you can't brush your teeth right after lunch. If you eat sandwiches on a daily basis, try swapping them out with a salad a few times a week.

Alcohol

Most people won't quit drinking alcohol solely because they want healthier teeth, but if you drink a lot of it, you should consider cutting back. Your saliva dilutes the acids and plaque in foods while you eat. However, drinking alcohol will dry out your mouth, which lowers your saliva production. The alcohol will eat away at your enamel while you have only a small amount of saliva to try and defend against the intruder. Drink a full glass of water between alcoholic drinks. It will help with your hangover and rinse your teeth.

Ice

Some people love to chew on ice. If you're hot and want an ice cube in your mouth to cool off, don't chew it. You might as well chew on a rock. One problem is that your mouth is warm and the ice is below freezing. Have you ever taken a hot glass out of the dishwasher and then filled it up with a freezing cold drink? It will crack. Chewing on the ice won't make your tooth crack in half, but it can make your teeth more brittle from the same effect. That combined with the hardness of the ice can cause you to chip your teeth and knock out fillings if you have them.

You shouldn't panic about everything you eat in fear that you're going to rot your teeth right out of your head. However, you should be aware of what these foods and drinks do to your teeth so you can avoid them as much as possible and take measures to lessen the harmful effects. To learn more about this topic, speak with a representative from a dental office like Family Dentist.

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