We all want to have pristine teeth and gums. It’s a key to good health and as we at Trillium Dental say, “Your mouth says it all!” As dentists and dental professionals, we know that a healthy mouth is a gateway to confidence, better overall health, and a better relationship with your world. More so, we strive to help you keep your mouth healthy inside and outside of our dental offices. We’ve already talked about what foods are best for your dental health and which nutrients are key for good oral health and why. In today’s blog, we will be talking about the worst types of food for your teeth and why they are detrimental to your oral health.
Trillium Dental offers a range of quality, professional dental services in Ottawa including InvisalignⓇ therapy, teeth whitening, and other general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry. Contact us today to learn more, or for an appointment.
SUGARY FOODS
We’ve been told since we were little that sugary foods are terrible for our teeth, but never exactly why. In a sterile environment, sugar would hardly affect your dental health. But instead, there is a range of bacteria that feed on sugars and then excrete acids as a by-product. These bacteria are so common and resilient that there really isn’t a good way to manage them besides good oral hygiene and not feeding them. The acids that they excrete dissolve the enamel of your teeth and create cavities.
To help prevent the effects of sugary foods on your dental health, drinking water after eating to flush harmful bacteria out is important. In addition, brushing your teeth even after meals to ensure that you have rid your mouth of leftover sugar is important.
STARCHY FOODS AND SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES
Not only do carbohydrates cause a range of different health concerns, but they also have a similar effect on dental health as sugars as both sugar and carbohydrates break down into triglycerides that the bacteria process and excrete as an acid. Many of the starchiest of foods can easily get stuck between teeth and in tooth ridges causing prolonged damage to the teeth.
STICKY OR CHEWY FOODS
Although there is certainly crossover between these food types, presenting each of these as a separate food category helps us all remember that even among sugars and carbohydrates some are worse than others. Food that sticks in your tooth ridges or between them is a dentist’s nightmare as they leave pockets of food for bacteria to eat and churn out acids that erode and damage your enamel. If you do eat anything sticky that leaves food stuck between your teeth, make sure that you brush out the major deposits and floss between your teeth to remove hidden pockets.
ABSORBENT FOODS
One of the least known bits of oral health trivia is that your saliva is one of the best defenses against oral health issues and damaging bacteria. Saliva helps to wash away bad bacteria, plaque, and to restore key minerals to your tooth enamel. Saliva also helps prevent food from getting stuck to your teeth and acting as a long-term food source for bacteria. Avoiding dehydrating food and beverages, or practicing proper hydration during and after consumption of dehydrating food and drink is important.
HARD FOODS
Like we pointed out in our previous blog, the enamel is hard. In fact, it’s the hardest part of the human body. However, chewing on excessively hard foods can erode the enamel and expose it to further damage from acid creating bacteria. Some of the more common hard foods that erode teeth are ice, hard candies, and uncooked popcorn seeds.
If your diet doesn’t reinforce your enamel or provide the nutrients needed to rebuild enamel, your teeth can weaken and end up breaking on substances softer than ice or hard candy.
We hope that this blog has helped you take a look at the types of food that are the most damaging to your dental and overall health. Remember that the health of your mouth says a lot about the health of the person. That is why at Trillium Dental, we say, “Your mouth says it all.” If you are looking for high-quality, professional dental care in Ottawa, we have several dental offices throughout the city. Contact us to schedule a checkup, teeth whitening, or any other range of dental practices.