5 Common Foods That Can Damage Your Teeth

Saturday, January 19 is National Popcorn Day. Popcorn is one of those foods that is extremely hard to resist, but it's also a food that can do damage to your mouth. The kernels can get lodged between teeth and gums and un-popped kernels can crack or even break teeth. 

The damage can be lessened and often prevented with proper oral care. Today Access Dental & Dentures has put together a list of common foods that can be damaging to your teeth. We've followed that with a few tips for counteracting the possibility of that damage. 

Sticky Foods
Candies such as gummies, caramels, and lollipops are the most obvious culprits mainly because of the high sugar content, but the stickiness is a major downside too. Sticky foods take longer to chew so they are in your mouth for an extended period of time. They also cling to the surface of your teeth & the crevices in between making them more likely to cause decay. 

You might be surprised to find out that dried fruits are a part of this category too. When it comes to fruit, fresh versions have less concentrated sugar, so they are a better choice.  

Starchy Foods
Any type of food heavy in starches can be dangerous for your mouth. Saliva breaks down those starches into sugar. Foods such as soft breads and potato chips will get trapped between your teeth and feed the bacteria found in plaque. Less refined varieties of bread, such as whole wheat, contain less added sugars so they are not as easily broken down but will still get stuck inside your mouth as easily as the rest.  

Citrus
Citrus fruits have many health benefits for the rest of your body, but the high acid content can erode the enamel on your teeth. The acid can also be bothersome to any sores inside your mouth. Drinking water along with citrus fruits can help to wash away some of those acids so they are on your teeth for a shorter period of time.  

Ice 
Drinking water is great for your teeth. When you chew on its solid form of ice, the enamel on your teeth can be damaged. The same can be said about chewing on any type of hard food item. This makes you more susceptible to dental emergencies like chipped, cracked, or broken teeth and maybe even loosened crowns.  

Beverages
Saliva prevents food from sticking to teeth and it washes away food particles. Certain types of beverages may quench your thirst, but they actually dry out your mouth and deplete the amount of saliva made. Alcohol carbonated sodas, coffee, and tea are guilty of making this happen. 

As for the carbonated sodas, they also contain acids that attack enamel, not to mention the high amounts of sugar they contain. Dark sodas can also stain your teeth. Drinking through a straw can help by causing the liquids to mostly bypass your teeth.    

Help Prevent the Damage
We seriously doubt that anyone is willing to cut those delicious foods out completely, but there are things that you can do to keep the damage to a minimum. Drink plenty of water daily and rinse your mouth out with water when you eat something you know may be sticking around until you can brush later. Floss your teeth every day and brush at least twice a day. 

Last, but certainly not least, make sure that your visit our Southern Missouri dentists for regular checkups so that possible dental problems can be taken care of before they get out of hand. Access Dental & Dentures has offices throughout Missouri. Simply give us a call at 1-877-DENTIST to find the office closest to you. 

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile! 

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Foods to Avoid for Healthy Teeth

While there are a TON of foods that can be beneficial for your teeth, on the flip side there are a few that you should try to monitor, for healthy teeth. If you're worried about the condition of you or your families' teeth, consider removing the following items from your diet. Your oral health is important to your overall health. Your trusted dentist in Springfield, MO has provided a list of foods to try to avoid, for healthy teeth.

Acidic Foods

There are a number of foods that have a high acidic level. This acid can wear down your enamel, allowing harmful bacteria and plaque to get deeper into your tooth. A weak protective layer of enamel can lead to a variety of oral health issues. Try to reduce the number of acid filled foods that you and your family consume. If you do happen to over do it on the acidic foods, pair it with a glass or water to help wash off some of the acid.

High Levels of Sugar

Sugar combines with the bacteria found in your mouth, and can cause damage to your teeth. Consuming foods with excess sugar levels is harmful for your entire mouth. Try to cut back on the number of sugar filled foods that you and your family consumes.

Sticky Food

Sticky and chewy foods tend to cling onto your tooth's surface. Typically, this food is filled with sugar, which makes it so sticky. As the previous point shows, sugar filled foods can cause damage to your teeth. Once the food sticks to your tooth, it tends to stay there for a while, wearing away at the enamel.

Foods High in Carbohydrates

Many refined carbohydrates transition into sugars, as soon as they enter your mouth. The bacteria in your mouth reacts with the sugar, which causes damage to your tooth enamel. This bacteria and sugar mixture starts to wear away the enamel surface that protects your teeth. To avoid damage to your enamel, reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates.

Hard to Chew Foods

Hard foods can cause a TON of damage to your teeth. The protective enamel on your teeth can be damaged, when you chew on hard foods. Foods like ice, hard candy, and un-popped popcorn can damage your tooth enamel or chip your tooth.

While foods can cause damage to your teeth, drinks can do the same. Provided below are some of the worst drinks you can consume:

- Soda
- Sports drinks
- Energy drinks
-  Alcohol
- Wine
- Coffee
- Fruit juice

Now that you know the damaging effects of the above foods, you're ready to start making better choices. Limiting the above items from your diet can help your entire body, mouth included, be healthier. Contact the best dentist in southern MO if you're ready to get a regular check up for your oral health, if you're concerned about the condition of your mouth. Give Access Dental and Dentures a call at 877-DENTIST to schedule an appointment at a location nearest you!

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile!

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Springfield Office          Rolla Office          Osage Beach Office      Mountain Grove Office
(417) 501-1048              (573) 426-5447        (573) 348-1466                       (417) 926-1160
1701 West Sunshine      416 S. Bishop Ave.  4320 Osage Beach Pkwy       921 N. Main St.

Springfield, MO 65807   Rolla, MO 65401     Osage Beach, MO. 65065       Mountain Grove