Having a treat occasionally can be satisfying, especially because of the sugary and delicious taste. However, you may expose your teeth to years of damage, leaving you vulnerable to serious dental complications. Based on this, you need to identify the worst foods for your teeth and why dentists rate them as the worst.
With the information, you can make more informed decisions about whether to continue consuming them or change to a different diet. You may also need further guidelines on maintaining proper dental health with a skilled dentist’s help.
At La Puente Advanced Dentistry, you will receive quality dental services geared towards helping you maintain good oral health. Our experience handling multiple dental cases also equips us to address unique circumstances adequately, so you do not have to worry about suffering dental complications. Our services are available to anyone seeking more information about protecting their teeth in La Puente, California.
Sugared Bread
Bread consists of wheat, gluten, and sugar, among other components like milk and butter, added to create the dough. Based on the multiple combinations, bread becomes a pasty mixture when you chew it, making it more likely to stick to your teeth.
Dentists, therefore, advise against eating bread frequently based on the increased chances of having food particles stuck in your teeth. Additional components, like yeast, will also attract bacteria and cause faster sugar breakdown and subsequent cavities.
Consequently, you are more likely to experience cavities and subsequent tooth decay if you do not remove the stuck particles soon after swallowing. You must also be careful when removing the stuck bread particles, as smaller pieces may remain between the teeth pockets.
If bread is a major part of your diet, consider wholemeal options, as they contain less sugar and are less sticky. Despite this, you must clean your mouth soon after eating to reduce the chances of stuck particles.
Candy and Sweet Treats
Candy is among the most discouraged types of food because of the high sugar amounts it contains. Dentists advise against eating candy and sweet treats because you introduce many chemicals and sugars into your mouth for extended periods, leaving your teeth vulnerable to bacterial attacks.
When you chew or suck on candy, the sugar from the treat is distributed evenly across your mouth. As you swallow, your saliva washes away most of the sugar, ideally reducing the levels. However, eating candy is a continuous process, meaning you will reintroduce the harmful sugar levels to your mouth until you finish the treat.
The constant reintroduction of sugar creates a conducive atmosphere for bacteria to breed and spread, increasing your chances of dental problems. The bacteria cause harm to your enamel when breaking down the sugar, as they release a harmful chemical that corrodes your teeth.
With continued exposure to the harmful chemicals from bacteria, you will notice small holes forming, pointing towards cavity development. If so, consider seeking dental treatment as soon as possible to prevent complications in the future.
Hard candies are especially problematic for dental health because they have higher sugar levels. You may also bite or chew into them more, risking cracking or breaking your teeth. Based on this, you should avoid hard candy treats or reduce your intake to avoid facing serious dental issues.
Eating sweet treats instead of candy can also destroy your dental health, mainly because of the possibility of stuck particles. If this happens, you are more likely to develop plaque, cavities, and tooth decay if left untreated.
Dried Fruits
Fruit in its natural state is beneficial, providing nutrients and healthy sugar content for your body. On the other hand, dried fruit contains higher sugar levels, arising from the high concentration as the fruit dries over time.
Moreover, dried fruit harms your health because of its sticky texture. Chewing on it, therefore, makes it easier for particles to stick to the enamel surfaces. Over time, bacteria break down the particles and release harmful chemicals as waste, resulting in enamel erosion.
Based on the possible damage that dried fruit may have on your teeth, your dentist advises you to avoid or consume less. You can also choose to suck on the fruit instead of chewing it, reducing the possibility of stuck particles on your teeth.
Despite this, you still introduce high sugar contents into your mouth, causing possible bacterial growth and infections in your gums. To prevent sugar buildup, you can counter the problem by swirling water in your mouth after eating the dried fruit.
Alcoholic Beverages
Alcohol consumption has an overall negative effect on your health, including your oral health. When you consume alcohol, it affects the water levels in your body system by causing faster dehydration. Since the effect runs across all body parts, your mouth will be drier after drinking than in other instances.
Additionally, most alcoholic drinks have a high sugar content, which gives bacteria a suitable environment to thrive and cause enamel damage. With continued drinking, bacteria may grow and create harmful chemicals that cause bad breath.
The combination of a dry mouth and increased sugar contents harms your teeth, as bacteria can thrive better. Without enough sugar to wash away the sugar in your mouth, you experience continuous bad breath, plaque formation, and enamel erosion.
You are more likely to notice the negative effects if you consume alcohol consistently compared to someone who only drinks occasionally. Due to this, your dentist advises you to reduce your intake or switch to a different beverage to avoid faster tooth damage.
Moreover, you could brush your teeth soon after having a drink to prevent the alcohol from creating a conducive environment for bacteria. This way, the chances of developing dental complications more quickly are reduced, leaving you with healthier teeth.
Potato Chips and Crackers
Hard foods like potato chips and crackers can cause harm to your teeth because of their sticky consistency. When you chew them, the texture becomes pasty, making it more likely to remain between teeth pockets and crevices. Due to this, your dentist will encourage you to eat the chips and crackers consistently.
Potato chips may also slide into your teeth pockets as you chew based on their shapes and sharp edges. This may occur without your knowledge, exposing you to gum problems, cavities, and tooth decay.
Similarly, crackers may cause enamel damage, especially if your teeth were already cracked from a previous dental injury. You should avoid biting or chewing on them to reduce the possibility of severe dental damage and additional harm to the internal parts of your teeth.
Tea and Coffee
While tea and coffee are essential for many people, they threaten maintaining good dental health. The main reason is that they stain your teeth over time, leaving you with a yellow or brown lining. Therefore, your overall dental aesthetic is at risk if you drink large amounts of coffee or tea without following a cleaning routine.
Further, since most people prefer having their beverage with sugar, it increases the chance of bacteria spreading and damaging the enamel surface. You are more likely to experience this if you go for hours without brushing after taking sugared coffee or tea.
While your saliva may help clean out the excess sugar immediately after taking the beverage, consider brushing or swirling mouthwash if you cannot touch it directly. Doing so reduces the sugar deposits in your mouth, giving you a better chance of preventing bacterial growth and subsequent infections.
Dry Ice
Although ice is not a food, it often accompanies many dishes and drinks. You are, therefore, more likely to bite or chew on it, exposing your teeth to potential damage.
Ice is typically hard and cold, meaning you may crack your teeth upon chewing or biting it. Further, the rough surface may cause serious enamel erosion, as you are likely to cause friction when chewing or biting it.
Having ice with sugary drinks also increases your chances of suffering a tooth infection, especially if you already have cavities. The mixture of sugar and continued damage to the tooth increases the possibility of serious tooth infections, including decay and tooth loss. Your dentist will thus discourage you from chewing or biting ice to avoid dental problems.
Carbonated Drinks
Carbonated drinks include sodas, fizzy energy, and health drinks. They are notorious for their high sugar levels, making them among the most harmful drinks for your teeth. Your dentist will advise you against drinking carbonated beverages frequently because they increase sugar deposits and bacteria development in your mouth rapidly.
Moreover, the fizziness attributed to carbonation can cause enamel erosion sooner. The phenomenon occurs because the carbonated state allows plaque to develop on your enamel surfaces faster. As a result, you notice a rough sensation on your teeth, which encourages bacterial activity on your teeth.
You may also be at risk of enamel erosion based on the chemicals in the drink, even if you brush soon after consuming the fizzy drink. Based on this, consider cutting down on carbonated beverages altogether to prevent serious dental complications like tooth decay, cavities, and tooth loss.
What to Do to Avoid Dental Complications
Understandably, cutting down on the worst-rated food and drinks for good may be impractical, especially if you have limited food options. Nevertheless, you can introduce some practices to reduce the negative impact of consuming the listed foods on your dental health.
With your dentist’s help, you can take on more practical advice and introduce the following practices into your routine:
Reduce the Amount You Consume
Although eradicating food options may be difficult, you can reduce your intake to limit tooth damage. For example, if you are used to having a sweet after every meal, consider consolidating it to once after a specific meal.
Doing so reduces harmful bacteria exposure and the growth rate between your teeth. Moreover, you can ration the quantity you take to reduce the chances of food particles getting stuck in your teeth. Over time, the new routine becomes your habit, allowing you to exercise healthier dental practices.
Change the Flavors You Choose
Some food options provide various flavors, with some offering less sugar or no ingredients. For example, you can choose natural fruit juice instead of processed brands that often contain higher sugar levels.
Alternatively, you can switch your meal options completely to eat the less harmful ones. For example, choosing wholemeal over processed bread is an excellent starting point for improving oral hygiene.
Clean Your Teeth Regularly
Brushing and flossing frequently is also necessary for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. By upholding a consistent teeth-cleaning routine, you can look forward to reduced cavity and tooth decay incidents.
However, when brushing and flossing, take note of the possible increased risk of enamel erosion in some cases. For example, brushing immediately after taking fizzy drinks is not recommended. Instead, consider swirling water in your mouth first, then brushing and flossing later.
Overall, avoiding foods labeled as harmful to your teeth is the ultimate solution to preventing dental complications. With a qualified dentist’s help, you can look forward to a smoother experience when changing your lifestyle to help you maintain your oral health.
Contact a Dentist Near Me
When you or a loved one develops serious dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease, you should reconsider your diet and general lifestyle. Doing so is important because it helps determine the harmful foods that may fuel dental complications. Upon researching the most dangerous foods for your teeth, consider seeking a second opinion from a trusted dentist for reliable information. Their expertise in the matter allows you to better understand how to improve oral health despite past exposure to harmful components.
At La Puente Advanced Dentistry, you will receive quality dental services to cater to your needs. Our team has worked with hundreds of patients, helping them to restore good dental health after battling serious infections. With our input, you can avoid suffering from serious complications that may result in loss. Our dentists can take on new patients seeking services in La Puente, California. For more information on how to avoid the worst food for your teeth, call us today at 626-626-7075.
