We all know that brushing and flossing is vital to the health of our teeth. But did you know there are some foods that can cause enough damage to your teeth that you need an extra cleaning? I’m sure you were told plenty of times as a child that candy will ruin your teeth. Many people all over the U.S. suffer from tooth decay and some of the culprits you’d never guess would affect you teeth. The following list includes the top 5 foods that damage your teeth:
- Refined Carbohydrates- Food likes white bread, chips, pasta or crackers are processed as processed as sugars when broken down. When these sugars mix with bacteria that’s found in the mouth they create a lactic acid, which is an acid that very hard on your tooth enamel. They also stick to the grooves of your teeth, giving the food more time to build up acid.
- Sugary Candy- Long lasting and sticky candies are the worst sort of candy for your teeth. When sucking on a hard candy it exposes your teeth to sugar and damaging acids for a longer period of time. However, while eating sticky candy the sugars are more prone to stick to your teeth.
- Dried Fruit- Not many people would suspect that dried fruit would be hard on their teeth, but dried fruits such as apricots, prunes and pineapple can be just as damaging as candy. The chewy texture makes it easy for the fruit to stick to your teeth, giving it plenty of time to damage them.
- Citrus- Although citrus foods are healthy and packed with vitamin C, they can also damage your teeth. Citrus fruits like lemons, oranges and grape fruits are high in enamel damaging acids and sugars as well.
- Carbonated Drink- Not only are drinks like soda and diet soda loaded with sugar, they contain carbonation and phosphorous that wear away tooth enamel. A beverage like Coke or Pepsi has around 10 teaspoons of sugar.
For more information regarding oral health, contact Dr. Patrick Simone in Henderson, NV at 702-735-2755 or visit our website at www.patricksimonedds.com.
Dr. Patrick Simone proudly accepts patients from Henderson, Las Vegas, Silverado Ranch, Enterprise, Spring Valley, and all surrounding areas.