6 Foods That Are Terrible for Your Teeth

In a perfect world, we would only eat healthy foods, we’d brush our teeth after every meal and we’d find ourselves asking our dentist questions like “do you think I’m actually flossing TOO much?”. Unfortunately, in real life, things don’t really work that way. We get busy, or we get lazy, or we simply forget to brush after every meal.  So, in in the spirit of realism, here is a list of the foods that are the worst for your teeth. These are the ones to avoid if you know you won’t be getting a chance to brush or floss until you get home eight hours down the road.

Carbonated Drinks

Soda is not a really surprising item on this list, but certainly worth pointing out. Most are full of sugar, the carbonation allows plaque to produce more acid to damage enamel and dark sodas can stain your teeth. Add it all together and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

Ice

Wait, ice is just water, how bad can it be? Well, it’s fine as long as you don’t chew on it. Subjecting your teeth to such a hard substance can lead to chips, cracks and other damage.

Bread

Starchy white bread gets broken down into a sticky sugar that gets easily stuck between your teeth.

Dried Fruit

Sure, the fruit itself isn’t so bad, but it’s the stickiness that gets you. Because the pieces cling to your teeth and work their way in between, they are in contact for much longer and leave sugar behind the whole time.

Acidic Fruit

That’s right, even fresh fruit can be a problem if it is from the citrus family, which is particularly acidic. The acid contributes to enamel decay. Luckily, this one won’t hurt you too badly as long as you rinse soon after eating

Alcohol

All alcoholic drinks, and not just sugary cocktails, are on this list. The alcohol itself dries out your mouth (you may have noticed), and lower saliva levels lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

Follow the three keys to healthy teeth – eat healthily, brush and floss often — and head in to see the top North Wales dentists at Smilestone Dental for regular checkups.

6 Foods That Are Terrible for Your Teeth

Smilestone Dental and Dr. Kimberly Curtis believes in providing the highest quality dental care to each and every patient and does so by continually expanding her scope of knowledge and staying up to date in the latest advancements in the dental field.