A healthy diet is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. From a young age, you’re taught to eat your fruits and vegetables, and to balance your food plate in order to sustain a well-balanced, healthy diet.
However, just because a food is healthy, does that mean it’s good for our teeth? When it comes to oral hygiene, sugary foods and drinks are a big no. But what if that included more than the typical sweets and fizzy drinks? Here are some of the healthy foods that are bad for your teeth.
Citrus fruits
The zingy taste of citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons make for a tasty snack or even a refreshing drink. Loaded with Vitamin C, citrus fruits come with a whole host of health benefits that are good for you.
However, citrus fruits are acidic. It’s this acid content that can cause enamel to erode, and so, make the teeth more vulnerable to decay. Tooth decay can lead to a lot of further dental problems, such as cavities and tooth erosion. Therefore, it’s best to eat and drink citrus fruits in moderation and rinse your mouth with water after consuming them.
Dried fruit
Many people assume that dried fruits are a healthy snack, which is true, but to an extent. Dried fruits such as apricots and raisins are sticky and get stuck to the teeth, leaving behind lots of sugar. Because they stick to the teeth, this means the acid attack from the sugar is allowed to go on for longer, leading to tooth decay.
Despite scientists finding that raisons contain chemicals that aid oral health, they failed to disprove that their sugar content and stickiness are highly likely to cause decay. After eating dried fruits, it’s a good idea to brush and floss your teeth afterwards, to remove any stubborn, sticky bits of food.
Crackers
While some consider crackers to be a healthy snack, they are in fact bad for your teeth. Starchy, carbohydrate foods like crackers begin converting to sugar once they’re in your mouth, creating bad bacteria.
A similar pattern is seen, with starchy foods becoming easily lodged in between teeth. Therefore, it’s important to clean your teeth after consumption of carbs and starchy foods such as crackers and bread.
“Hard” foods
Hard, solid foods that cause a crunch such as apples, or raw carrots can be damaging to your teeth. Despite their health benefits as foods, the hard texture of these foods can cause unexpected damage to the teeth.
For example, biting down on a crunchy apple can cause teeth to chip, or even crack. This can cause serious damage to the teeth – particularly if left untreated. When eating hard, crunchy foods, it’s important to take care and if you’re already suffering from a chipped or cracked tooth avoid these foods.
Where to get help
If you are suffering with tooth decay, then it’s important to seek professional help. Whether you’re after a dentist in Edinburgh or a Dentist in London or elsewhere, visit your local professional straight away to receive the right medical treatment.
