We were told all of our lives to avoid hard foods or foods high in sugar, and there is a good reason for this. Hard candy and hard foods can damage your teeth over time or could even break a tooth. Taking care of what you eat is important for your whole body, this includes your mouth if you want to keep a perfect smile over time.
You might think that you only need to avoid hard candy or lollipops, but candy is not the only type of food that might cause you trouble. This is why it is important to be aware of which food can damage your smile in the long term, and we will tell you what you need to avoid other than sweets.
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Which foods should you avoid from time to time?
Some hard foods might not have sugar or additives but they might be sticky and those can harm your teeth. With time, hard or sticky foods damage the enamel, a thin layer that covers the outside of the tooth and protects it, in consequence, your teeth becomes more sensible and easier to break.
Ice
Chewing ice is something a lot of people do without knowing how harmful it can be. Ice is just water, it doesn’t have any sugars, and it’s not sticky but is a hard food. Chewing ice might damage your enamel over time and erode your teeth, also, over time, if your teeth are already fragile, it might chip or break one.
Citrus fruits
During summer we all love some lemonade, but acid fruits in excess can erode your teeth as fast as candy can do it. One squeeze of lemon from time to time shouldn’t be a problem but daily consumption can erode your enamel, could irritate your mouth, and make you weaken your teeth. So try to drink citrus with caution.
Coffee
If you are not a morning person this is it, you won’t read this but wait, is important for your teeth. Drinking coffee isn’t bad but drinking tons of coffee can be bad for your body and your mouth. If you have this set as a habit, try to drink a lot of water and add none to very little sugar to your cup.
Crunchy hard foods
Crunchy snacks are the best snacks but, over time, this can damage our teeth too. Everything that crunch is a hard food and when you are just a teen, it doesn’t really matter if you ate a whole bag in one sitting but, over time, it can weaken your teeth and break or chip them too, so be more careful and floss after every snack.
Nuts
Some nuts can be pretty hard and we sometimes are tempted to open them up with our mouths. Not only this might chip or break our teeth but you can injure yourself if you are not careful.
Popcorn
I can’t imagine myself watching a movie without popcorn, but this salty snack can be mortal for our teeth. The real danger inside the popcorns is the unpopped kernels, they can be hard and we recommend you to avoid them or don’t eat them if you do. Also, try to drink a lot of water to avoid getting your mouth dry.
Gum
No matter which type of gum you are chewing, it is bad for your mouth, as a whole. This chewy treat is amazing if you have anxiety or something similar but the sugar in many gums help the bacteria and constant chewing might cause dry mouth.
Replace some drinks with something healthier
Now is the turn of the sugar, and sodas are some of the most sugary drinks you can have. After some time of drinking and eating a lot of sugary foods, the plaque bacteria in your teeth will grow and produce an acid that will attack your enamel. If this is not enough for you, the caffeine in most of these drinks can turn your teeth yellow too.
This doesn’t mean you should only drink water but is healthier to drink more water, coffee, and tea instead of soda. As another option you can have juices, just add just a little bit of sugar and, in no time, you will have a tasty drink with just the right sweets.
Alcohol is bad
Alcohol is bad in excess and we all know this, but excessive consumption can damage our mouth too. A dry mouth is something you might not be familiar with but is that, having your mouth excessively dry, in other words, you don’t produce enough saliva and this might cause tooth decay and oral infections.
Avoid Sports drinks too
This might look like a healthier option, right? They will keep you hydrated, yes, but most sports drinks are full of sugar. If you are not an athlete and you don’t need the extra kick of these drinks, is better for you to drink water.
What else could damage my enamel?
Tooth erosion happens because of a lot of factors and things, but our diet is the main reason why our teeth decay over time. Professionals made a list that you can check here but, in any case, some other reasons your enamel might be eroded:
Dry mouth
A low saliva flow or xerostomia is one of the main reasons your teeth might decay. Saliva helps to wash bacteria and leftover foods. If you feel that you don’t produce enough saliva, we recommend you to go to your dentist or a professional.
Acid reflux
Acid and teeth don’t get along, and acid reflux disease or heartburn might be the cause of why your teeth feel fragile. When the acids of your stomach reach your mouth, they harm the enamel of your teeth and erode them.
Time
Well, abrasion, stress, friction, corrosion are things that happen inside our mouth and, over time, erode our teeth. Many things we do daily can occasion any of the types of damage we mentioned – like biting your nails when you feel anxious – and this ultimately does more or less harm.
