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Some foods that are genuinely good for your overall health can actually damage your teeth when eaten too often. Here are a few particularly popular culprits. We’re not saying to avoid these foods completely, but you should know which ones to consume in moderation.
In case you didn’t know, it’s not sugar itself that causes tooth decay, it’s the acid that bacteria turns sugar into by digesting it. Acid is the enemy of tooth enamel. Lemon juice is quite acidic, so consuming it too often can actually weaken your enamel just like eating too much sugar. Lemons are rich in vitamin C. Without enough vitamin C in your diet, you can get scurvy, which ironically can cause your teeth to loosen and fall out. So, lemon is good for you in moderation, but try to avoid adding it to your water and sipping on it all day. You’d be giving your teeth a constant bath in cavity-causing acids!
Blueberries are known for being rich in antioxidants, vitamins and inflammation-fighting compounds. They’re also nature’s candy and totally delicious. But if you’ve ever dropped a fresh, juicy berry on light clothing, you also know that they create a pretty stubborn stain. What’s true of your favorite cotton shirt is also true of your tooth enamel. If you eat blueberries too frequently, you can contribute to staining and darkening your teeth. So if you’re trying to keep your smile bright after a teeth whitening treatment, we recommend limiting your blueberry intake. After all, the best teeth whitening is avoiding staining foods and drinks all together!
While not nearly as bad for your teeth as soda pop or carbonated energy drinks, carbonated water is not without guilt when it comes to tooth health. All carbonated drinks, including popular sugar-free, calorie-free flavor-infused waters, contain acid created by the carbonation process. All those fun fizzy little bubbles can actually damage your teeth over time if you drink too many carbonated drinks.
Wondering if the latest health fad or superfood is bad for your teeth? Feel free to ask the dentist or dental hygienist at your next visit. We’re always happy to share our dental expertise!
Anyone who has been around babies and toddlers knows that tiny humans use their mouths to learn about their surroundings. For the most part, using our mouths to explore is something that we grow out of, but in some cases oral bad habits and compulsions continue into later childhood or develop in adulthood, which can pose risks to your dental health. Here are a few habits that you should nip in the bud as soon as possible, and some suggestions for how to stop them.
When we provide dentistry for children, thumbsucking is one of the bad habits we watch out for. The biggest risk with sustained thumbsucking is how it affects the bite. Frequently having a thumb in the mouth causes teeth to shift around it. This can lead to problems such as an open bite, where the front teeth protrude and cause a large gap between top and bottom teeth, which can affect the function of the teeth while eating and speaking and affect facial aesthetics. Patients with an unaddressed thumbsucking habit that goes on for years usually end up needing orthodontic treatment (braces) that could have been avoided if the habit had been addressed.
The other risk of thumbsucking is that it can introduce bacteria from the fingers into the mouth, which can cause tooth decay. Thumbsucking is considered normal up until age 3. After that point, you should consult with the dentist or your pediatrician to find a solution to stop the habit, such as oral appliances that block the thumb from entering the mouth or thumb shields that are worn on hands.
Chewing fingernails is a very common bad habit, but many people don’t know it’s just as bad for the health and appearance of your smile as it is for your hands. The protein that makes up your fingernails may be soft enough to bite through, but it’s actually hard enough that it can cause wear to your teeth over time. As a result, the bottom edges of front teeth start to look ragged or uneven and become more vulnerable to cracks or other damage. Ultimately, chewing fingernails is a compulsive behavior related to stress and is often a habit that people inherit. Luckily, because this habit is so common, there are lots of solutions out there. Try putting a bitter tasting solution on your fingers, occupying your hands with a fidget spinner or something else to fiddle with, occupying your mouth with sugar-free gum, or getting a manicure so there are no tempting rough edges or dry cuticles to gnaw on. If your habit has already caused damage to your teeth, the dentist can assess it and repair it with tooth-colored fillings and bonding to return your smile to it’s original appearance.
This may be one of the worst habits for your dental health. While liquid water is great for flushing debris and bacteria away from your teeth, chewing on frozen water is not that far off from chewing on rocks. Ice can wear out your tooth enamel, making teeth more vulnerable to cracking, tooth decay, and sensitivity to hot and cold. If you have fillings, chewing on ice can make them more brittle and prone to failure. Chewing on ice is like asking for a toothache. Like biting your fingernails, you can cope with your urge to chew by substituting ice for sugar-free gum. If you continue to find yourself tempted, consider not including ice in your beverages.
The message that soda is bad for your teeth and your overall health is hard to avoid these days. Most of us already know that sugary soda pop should be treated as a special treat, not an everyday beverage for quenching your thirst. What may surprise you is how many supposedly healthy drinks have a lot of sugar in them.
First, a reminder why sugar is bad for your teeth in the first place. Sugar causes tooth decay because bacteria (many of which naturally occur in your mouth) consume the sugar, digest it, and release it as acid. This acid erodes your tooth enamel and causes cavities. It’s not the sugar itself that’s dangerous, it’s the acid it creates!
So you have something to compare to, here’s the sugar content of popular sodas:
The nutrition labels on beverages can sometimes be hard to understand for Americans who aren’t used to the metric system of measurement. For your reference, one teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams. So 64g of sugar is equivalent to 16 tablespoons of sugar (in other words, a third of a cup!).
Oranges are known for being a great source of Vitamin C, which can help keep your immune system strong. And while this is true of the fruit itself, the juice is less honorable. An orange only contains about 2 oz. of juice, meaning a small 8 oz. glass of orange juice has the equivalent of 4 oranges. So eating an orange with your breakfast makes sense but downing a glass of orange juice is actually 4 times the sugar. Plus, like all citrus juices, orange juice is acidic. That means there are actually two substances in orange juice that could potentially harm your teeth.
Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are touted as being a healthy option for anyone who engages in strenuous exercise, and their ads are full of professional athletes reaching for a brightly covered beverage to replenish their bodies. And while 14g of sugar per 8 0z. serving may not seem like a lot compared with soda pop’s 64g, ask yourself, when was the last time you only had only a quarter of a bottle of Gatorade? A regular bottle is 32 oz., meaning if you finish the bottle you’re actually consuming 56g of sugar!
Obviously, on its own, tea doesn’t contain any sugar, but over the centuries humans have figured out that adding sweeteners to tea can be pretty tasty, and iced tea is no exception. The trouble is that iced teas are marketed these days as natural and healthy, and you can easily overlook how much sugar they contain. For example, Arizona Iced Tea contains 24g of sugar per serving and Snapple Lemon Iced Tea contains 23g. The good news is there are unsweetened varieties of iced tea available for purchase, and you can always make your own so you can control the amount of sugar yourself.
In a dentist‘s fantasy world, all our patients would avoid sugary drinks completely, but we know that’s not realistic. All we ask is for our patients to have some awareness of what they’re subjecting their teeth and bodies to. After all, our ultimate job is protecting your smile! Remember, just because something has a reputation of being healthy and natural, and advertising that says so, doesn’t mean it can’t do harm.
