Foods That Are Terrible for Your Teeth

While the amount of care that you put into your teeth really does matter, it also matters what you eat. Even if you brush and floss every single day, it won’t mean very much if you’re constantly drinking soda. Here are some foods you might want to avoid for the sake of those pearly whites.

Sugar Foods

Sugar is the biggest tooth-killer of them all. Left festering in the crevasses of your teeth and gums, sugar eventually is broken down into acid by your mouth’s bacteria. Plaque is created, which eats away at the enamel of your teeth, eventually causing cavities. It doesn’t help that so much of the modern industrial world of food puts so much sugar into everything! The best way to fight this problem is to practice good dental hygiene on a daily basis. But you should also avoid those super-sugary foods, like candy, soda, energy drinks, and frosting. Look for sugar-free alternatives to your favorite treats.

Hard Foods

This one may come as a surprise – but it’s certainly a very real danger. Foods that are abnormally hard can wear down and damage your teeth over time. Examples might include hard candy and ice; really, anything that makes you strain to crack it is probably ill-advised. Ice especially is a surprisingly popular choice for people who want something to cleanse their palate after eating, or just want something to chew. But in reality, chewing on ice can chip your teeth and damage braces. Instead, try sucking on the ice to melt it gradually – but avoid sucking on hard candy entirely, since it will coat your teeth.

Sticky Foods

Edible items with any consistency ranging from honey to Jell-O to a gummy bear should also be avoided. Sticky foods such as these have a special talent for persisting against your mouth’s saliva and hanging around a lot longer than it should. It also can seep into cracks between your teeth, braces, or retainers and cause more problems with the acid that it will create there. The worst part is that most sticky foods are sweet as well, meaning that they likely contain sugar – thus making a bad situation worse. Especially if you have dental modifications like braces, you need to avoid these entirely. For the rest of you, make sure to brush and floss thoroughly after eating!

We have our teeth so that we can enjoy our food. So, what good will it do if they begin to rot and fall out before the age of fifty? Ultimately, it’s up to you to be responsible for what you eat and how you maintain our dental hygiene – and if you’re careful, you can keep a shining smile long past the average age!

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