Avoid These Foods If You Want Healthy Teeth

Sweet Candies:

Sweet candies are high in sugar content and can only cause cavities. If you want healthy teeth, say a big "No" to candies. Unless you choose to eat sugar-free hard candies, you are putting yourself or your child's teeth at the risk of prolonged acid attacks which can actually lead to tooth decay. If you really crave for chocolates, dark chocolate, sugarless gum and sugarless candies can be consumed in minimal.

Tea Or Coffee:

Too much of tea or coffee can stain your teeth. Fortunately, one to three cups a day is safe for good oral health. However, the same is not true with coffee. The tannic acid in coffee affects the enamel coating of your teeth, thereby staining them and making them brown.

Ultimately, the sugar content makes your teeth an easy breeding ground for bacteria. An ideal solution is to swap your daily coffee and tea with a cup of green tea. This brewed drink is not only good for your oral health but also your overall health, since it detoxifies your body. Regular consumption of green tea can help you protect yourself from tooth cavities, bad breath and gum disease.

Citrus Fruit:

We all know that citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C content and are very essential for our body. However, the high acidic content in these fruits and fruit juices can cause the tooth enamel to weaken and demineralize over time. These softened areas of enamel may then become discoloured and eventually decay.

In order to maintain the vitamin C requirement of your body, you can still consume these fruits in a safer way and prevent enamel erosion. Ensure that you do not suck on lemons or any other citrus or highly acidic fruits. Use a straw while drinking such fruit juices.

Rinse your mouth with water after eating these kinds of fruits. This will dilute the acids in your mouth. Do ensure that you wait for at least 30 minutes to brush your teeth, such that your enamel gets the time to resettle.

Soda & Sugary Drinks:

Most carbonated soft drinks including diet soda are acidic and therefore bad for your teeth. Besides sugar, soft drinks also contain phosphoric and citric acid which soften the enamel, collapse your teeth and increase the risk of cavities. If at all you still want to consume these soft drinks, make sure that you immediately drink a cup of plain water.

Wine:

Alcohol, especially wine, stains your teeth and also wears down the enamel coating. Heavy drinking can also lead to mouth cancer. Wine has dehydrating properties, which dries up your mouth, making it difficult to produce saliva, which usually keeps the teeth clean and free from any unwanted junk. When the saliva production is lowered, it deteriorates gum health and can lead to very severe conditions like mouth cancer. So if you want to indulge in it, make sure you brush and rinse your mouth appropriately. You can also eat a piece of cheese to combat this effect.

Pickles:

The culprit in most pickles is the acid. All pickled foods contain vinegar, which is high in acid content. This wears down your enamel and your teeth becomes vulnerable to other dental problems. Again, as discussed earlier, brushing and rinsing your mouth can help. You can alternately also eat a piece of cheese because the calcium in the cheese can neutralize the acid in the vinegar.

Potato Chips And Starchy Foods:

A favourite food of many, chunks of potato chips can get stuck between the teeth. This in turn helps the bacteria to grow around the oral cavities. The starch content in these foods is very high and the enzymes in the saliva convert this starch to sugar in no time. Sugar, as we have already discussed, is very harmful for dental health.

Sticky Foods:

When we think of healthy snacks, most of us have dry fruits on the top of our list. Most of the dry fruits are usually sticky. If you are a regular eater of dry fruits, make sure that you rinse your mouth immediately. Also ensure that you carefully brush and floss your teeth after you eat them.

Ice:

The extreme cold and hardness of ice can have a negative effect on your tooth enamel, which is the protective surface of your teeth. Chewing ice wears the enamel down and can lead to tooth fractures.