The foods that you eat can affect the condition and appearance of your teeth. Some foods and beverages stain your teeth and lead to plaque and tooth decay. It’s important to visit your local dentist at Caldwell, Bills, Petrilli & West at least once every six months to make sure your teeth are in great shape. Below are foods to avoid in excess to keep your teeth healthy and white.
Candy
Chewy candy is sticky and gets between your teeth, taking a long time to dissolve. The acid wears the enamel of the teeth down too. When you eat chewy candy, hard candy, or any type of candy, brush your teeth after and floss. Hard candy takes a long time to dissolve in your mouth. Biting down on hard candy sometimes causes chips and cracks in the teeth. No matter what type of candy you eat it has sugar, so eating in moderation is the key.
Soda and Sport Drinks
Children and adults tend to drink too much soda and sports drinks loaded with sugar and acid. Try reducing the size of your serving and sipping the beverage with a meal or snacks. Avoid drinking soda or sweet beverages before bedtime, because the sugar works on your teeth all night. The acid in sodas can erode enamel and lead to sensitivity and tooth decay. Try to drink more water, flavored seltzer, or club soda. These beverages have no added sugar or salt.
Alcoholic Beverages
Beer, wine, and cocktails not only contain sugar that causes cavities, but it stops the production of salvia. This affects your teeth and all the surrounding tissue of your mouth. Salvia is what washes away the food particles in your mouth. After a meal with alcoholic beverages, it is a good idea to brush your teeth and floss.
Coffee and Tea
Over time, drinking coffee and tea stains the teeth, and these stains are hard to remove. It also makes food particles stick to the teeth, causing cavities and decay. Our teeth whitening service can help you when your teeth are stained from coffee, tea, and other substances.
Starchy Foods
White bread, doughnuts, baked goods, potato chips, tortilla chips, cookies, cakes, and pies break down into sugar that will decay your teeth. Try whole-grain bread, whole-wheat pasta, and reduce the number of sweets you eat.
Citrus Fruit
Excessive amounts of citrus fruit introduce citric acid into your mouth. Too much can cause the enamel on your teeth to erode. You can still consume them, but in moderation. When erosion reaches the inner layer of the tooth, this causes tooth pain. After drinking citrus juice or eating fruit, rinse your mouth out with plain water, and wait an hour or two before brushing.
The Caldwell Bills and Petrilli Dentistry team advises you to make an appointment for a cleaning and checkup twice yearly, brush twice daily, floss, and eat healthy foods to keep your teeth healthy. Call for an appointment today, or fill out our online appointment request.