“Eating too much chocolate is bad for your teeth!” has now become old news, with research showing that there are so many worse culprits working against our dental health, that chocolate is hardly even in the picture any more! The biggest change to this theory has come from the finding that even more than the sugar content, it is the acidic content that is responsible for the erosion of enamel, and ruining healthy teeth. Let’s go through some big enemies of our dental health:
Sodas and carbonated drinks
All carbonated drinks, as well as sports or health drinks contain high acid content and are detrimental to the health of your teeth. If you really feel it necessary to drink these occasionally, do use a straw which reduces contact with the teeth as much as possible.
Candy
Rather than chocolate, it is those innocuous looking pieces of sweet and sticky candy which can cause havoc as the sugar content sticks to your teeth for quite a while after you’ve finished eating them. These also contain some acidic content which wears out your enamel too. Dry Fruits that stick to the teeth have a similar effect, though you can minimize the effects by rinsing out your mouth or drinking water.
Citrus juices
We all know that citrus juices like lime or orange juice provides that much needed Vitamin C for our bodies, but even these are not great to keep around in our mouth for too long, especially when sweetened with sugar too. Sucking a piece of lemon which is suggested in some home remedies is not a very good idea because the acid content in the lemon is continuously working away at your enamel! That does not mean that hard candies are ok – these stick around in the mouth for a very long time and therefore keep teeth in contact with the sugar and acids for that much longer.
Ice
Did you ever think that what serves as a no-calorie snack for some people could actually be damaging your teeth? Yes, crunching too much on hard foods like ice, or sometimes even popcorn can wreak havoc on your enamel even cracking or chipping your teeth, along with damaging gums!
Tobacco
Chewing it as well as smoking, other than the known impacts on your physical health, also have a visible effect on your teeth. I am not talking just about the stains on your teeth, but the myriad of other problems starting from bad breath, to enamel wearing out, to ultimately bigger problems like periodontal disease if left unchecked.
Alcohol
Most types of alcohol have a high sugar content therefore furthering tooth decay, and also dry out your mouth leaving tooth at higher risk of infection.
