The best way to protect your teeth is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Aside from the usual brushing and flossing, the type of food we eat can also have a huge impact on our teeth. Read on to learn about what kinds of food are good and bad for your teeth.
Although these fruits are rich in vitamin C and other nutrients, they aren't the best for your teeth. Since citrus fruits such as lemon and grapefruit are highly acidic, if you consume them over long periods of time, they can erode your teeth enamel. Oranges are less acidic, so if you do want to drink the occasion orange juice for breakfast, just make sure to brush and floss right after!
Candies that are super chewy, such as taffy & caramels, tend to stick to the teeth for a long time, which gives bacteria longer periods of time in your mouth to feed on the sugar. This in turn can dissolve the protective layer on your tooth enamel and cause cavities. On the other hand, hard candies take longer to dissolve, which means it gives it longer time to saturate your mouth, giving bad bacteria more time to produce bad acid. Also, if you bite down wrong on hard candy, it could potentially chip your teeth. So think twice before popping in a chewy or hard candy.
It's probably well known that soda is quite harmful to the teeth, causing cavities. Even sugar-free/diet sodas contain citric and phosphoric acid that can erode the enamel. Try not to drink soda on its own, but rather with your meal if you must. In this way the food can help neutralize the acid in the soda. On the other hand, energy or sports drinks might seem like a tasty alternative to soda, these beverages are also quite acidic and can be more damaging to the teeth, causing enamel decay.
The carbs in crackers quickly converts to sugar in the mouth, which again becomes a great target for cavity-forming bacteria. Also when you eat crackers, they turn mushy which can easily get trapped in the crevices of your teeth. If you don't eat them often it isn't a huge issue, just make sure to thoroughly brush and floss your teeth after eating them.
Have you ever seen coffee stain inside a mug? That is what can happen to your teeth if you drink coffee consistently over a long period of time. Coffee stains are also more resistant to tooth brushing as well. In addition to its unflattering look, heavy coffee stains can be sticky and cause food particles and bacteria to stick to your teeth. On the other hand, although tea may seem like a gentler caffeinated drink, it can still stain your teeth. In fact, certain types of black tea may stain your teeth more so than black coffee. The culprit that causes the teeth staining in tea is its high tannin content. Teas such as green tea, white tea, & herbal teas have less tannins, so they are less likely to discolor your teeth.
