Like a lot of things, good dental hygiene can be achieved with a decent amount of common sense. We all know candy, soft drink, and foods full of refined sugar are bad for our teeth, but there are a few other less obvious enamel attackers that it does well to be aware of. Keep your bright, white smile by taking care with these foods.
Morning Joe and English Breakfasts
If you drink a lot of coffee and/or tea, you probably already know the negative effects they can have on your teeth. Regularly drinking tea and coffee can stain your teeth, and the added extras don’t help your dental health either. If you are a coffee drinker, remember to always have it with a glass or two of water, rinse your mouth out, and rehydrate after these high caffeine beverages. If the stains get beyond help, then try bringing your teeth back to their pearly white nature with a teeth whitening kit. And take it easy on the sugar, chocolate, or other extras.
Chips, Crackers, and Candy
Most snack foods are high in sugars, salt, starch, and other strange additional ingredients that only scientists can identify. One of the big problems with these is that, as you sit and snack in front of the TV, these foods get stuck in your teeth. Unless they are properly flossed away soon after, this can lead to plaque build-up and dental hygiene issues. So, if you’re going to indulge, be sure to clean up your mouth afterwards.
Citrus Fruits
It’s becoming fairly common knowledge now that citrus fruits have high levels of acidity, which erodes the enamel on your teeth. While oranges, lemons, and their friends are great for your health, eat them in moderation. A diet high in citrus is going to lead to tooth decay, so remember to always drink and rinse your mouth with water after eating or drinking citrus fruits.
Ice Cold
This might come as a surprise, but chewing ice is not good for your teeth. It’s just water, you might say – there is no sugar or acid present, but chewing on something as hard as ice (which comes in varying degrees of solidity) can damage enamel and cause some serious dental issues. One of the major problems is that we never really know just how frozen and hard the ice is until we try to crunch it. It may be brittle and easy to chew, or it may crack your tooth in half – it’s not really worth testing the strength of your teeth for a bit of cold water.
Powerless Sports Drinks
This is one that hopefully you are already avoiding, but sports drinks are a complete waste of money. Unless you are running a marathon and need some quick sugars and salts while you continue your run, you might as well be having soft drink. Sports drinks are just lemonade with good marketing. They are full of sugar and they are acidic (even more acidic than soft drink) which will eat away your enamel and wreck your teeth if you are regularly consuming them. If you go to the gym and feel like you need something to help you recover after a great workout – drink water!
You may be a good brusher, but there are certain things a toothbrush can’t handle. So, take care of your teeth, you only get one (well two really) sets and you will miss them once they’re gone, or chipped, or cracked. Stay friends with your dentist, see them at least once a year, and look after your pearly whites!
