If you plan on keeping your original teeth for your entire life, you should be aware of which foods and drinks to be cautious of. While a general rule of thumb is to avoid sugar in large quantities, there are other just as important things for you to do as well. Some of your everyday habits may result in you needing a restoration, such as dental implants in Palm Beach Gardens.
Top 10 Worst Foods
Sometimes the best tasting foods just aren’t good for us. Luckily, maintaining oral health, in this case, is a two in one benefit: dental health and physical health. Everyone should know what foods are historically good and bad, but refreshers can be helpful. In no particular order, here’s a list of 10 foods that wear down teeth:
- White bread
- Sour candy
- Acidic fruits
- Acidic veggies
- Starchy foods
- Sweets
- Pickles
- Crackers
- Pasta sauce
- Dried fruit
A general rule of thumb is that starch is an enemy of enamel. Some of the most common everyday foods can be just as harmful as candy. White flour starch is a simple carbohydrate, which means it breaks down into simple sugars. Simple carbohydrates have a bad tendency of becoming trapped in your mouth, where they then break down.
The simple sugars then attack the enamel. Therefore, starchy foods such as white bread, crackers, and pasta are not suitable for teeth.
If food is acidic, it’s best to stay clear of it. Acidity is measured on the pH scale. The pH test determines if the liquid or solid is an acid or a base (alkaline). The lower the score happens to be, the more acidic it is, and vice versa. Higher scores are more alkaline.
This means that acidic fruits and veggies, pickles, and pasta sauce are enamel destroyers. Sitting down for a spaghetti dinner is one of the worst things you can do for your teeth if you don’t brush afterward.
Fun fact about pickles – the brine they come in is highly acidic and is very bad for your teeth.
Top 10 Worst Drinks
The following is a list of common drinks that don’t play well with teeth:
- Sports drinks
- Carbonated drinks
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Wine
- Apple cider vinegar
- Black tea
- Fruit juice
- Fruit punch
- Energy drinks
Apple cider vinegar was added to this drink list because it was part of a recent health fad. The fad claimed health benefits from drinking it once a day while others claim to before every meal. However, its pH ranges between 2.5 and 3.5 (out of 7), meaning it is more acidic than most other food and drinks. Did you know that most coffee has a pH of 5?
Fruit juice and fruit punch are also bad for teeth because both summertime favorites are acidic. It’s recommended to use a straw when drinking juice or your favorite fruity cocktails. Cocktails are even worse because they combine at least two different enamel-destroying drinks.
Sports drinks, energy drinks, and carbonated drinks contain sugar, which, stated earlier, is terrible for maintaining healthy teeth.
Do You Need Dental Implants In Palm Beach Gardens?
If your teeth have been worn down by the years and are considering dental implants, contact us for a consultation.