If you’re afraid about what to eat for the best dental health, don’t be: stick with foods that are relatively low in sugar and soft on your teeth, and you’ll be fine. (And as always, don’t forget to brush and floss your chompers daily!) That said, we understand that lots of our patients are tense about the harmful effects certain foods can have on dental health, so here is a list of some foods you should cautiously avoid:
Alcohol. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol not only grows your risk of developing mouth cancer but also increases your risk of dry mouth. Without saliva to push around fluoride, dislodge debris and clean out your mouth, tooth erosion and gum disease become more likely.
Coffee. You may already know that coffee can discolor your pearly whites, but it can also dry out your mouth; when you have dry mouth, spit can’t work its magic to keep your teeth and gums clean from bacteria and debris. Additionally, many people like to add sugar and cream to their coffee, which can lead to tooth erosion.
Ice. Water’s good for you, so ice has got to be awesome too, right? As it turns out, chewing on ice can hurt your pearly whites. The difficult structure of ice can break or fracture your teeth, leaving you with an oral emergency. Water in its liquid form is awesome for your teeth and mouth, but ice isn’t.
To learn extra details about which foods you can foil for greatest oral health, call us now at 559-299-9211 to pencil in an appointment with Dr. Wendy Quiroz and the team at Wendy Quiroz, DDS in Clovis, California.