Bad Food for Dental Hygiene

While many foods can help keep your dental hygiene in check, there are countless others that do just the opposite.  We all know the obvious ones: soda, candy, energy drinks and pretty much everything else that contains a large excess of sugar. While most have known about these sugary, tooth-rotting fares since childhood, there are a handful of healthy foods that can cause havoc to your pearly whites. Check out the follow bad foods for dental hygiene.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are considered a bad food for dental hygiene. Not all fruits have a high acidity level, however a majority of them do. Eating an orange at lunch isn’t enough to cause concern for your dental hygiene but for those who eat a large amount of high-citrus fruits could be at risk of permanent damage. Much like sugar, a large amount of citrus can cause your teeth to soften, eroding your enamel.

Fruits are an essential part to a healthy, complete diet so avoiding them in efforts to protect your teeth isn’t a smart solution.  In fact, vitamin C, most commonly consumed from oranges, is an essential vitamin for maintaining healthy gums. Rather than cutting fruits from your daily diet, drink a big glass of water following consumption of acidic fruits, wait 20 minutes,and then brush your teeth. Remember, citrus softens your teeth so brushing right after can cause a lot of damage and is a bad dental hygiene practice.

High acid containing fruits:

• Lemons (Including lemon water)
• Oranges
• Limes
• Grapefruit (Drinking grapefruit is juice is almost as erosive as a soda.)
• Any kind of concentrated fruit juice

Almonds

Say it ain’t so! Any avid snacker watching their waistline knows almonds are a great healthy alternative to potato chips or other crunchy snacks. Loaded with vitamin E and full of healthy fats, almonds have always been a great source of nutrition. While they may help to improve your body figure, they are unfortunately considered a bad food for dental hygiene and can cause havoc to the structure of your teeth. Almonds are extremely hard and in many cases can cause your teeth to fracture.

In this case, the solution is quite simple. Next time you reach for almonds at the grocery store, choose the chopped or sliced option.

Coffee

Coffee has been a hot topic in the dental industry for years. First it’s bad for dental hygiene, and then a study says it is good, and the next thing you know: I am telling you it is in fact a bad food for dental hygiene again. Much like that last two foods we mentioned above, many foods have both positive and negative qualities. The important thing is to recognize both sides and take the proper actions to prevent lasting damage while still taking advantage of the benefits.

Coffee contains many beneficial antioxidants that are beneficial to the whole body, including other dental hygiene factors such as your mouth! However, coffee has a bad reputation when it comes to stains, and I’m not just talking about that white shirt you spilt on this morning! Coffee is notorious for staining your teeth and a buildup can actually attract plaque.

For a majority of the American population, asking one to stop consumption of coffee would be like asking one to limit their intake of oxygen: An impossible request without deadly consequences. Ok I admit, we’re being a bit extreme here but you know it’s true! In fact, I’m drinking coffee right now as I write this and I am not one to be hypocritical. So instead of enduring endless groggy mornings, opt for iced coffee, skip the sugar, drink through a straw, and consider adding some milk to offset acidity. And remember to brush and floss once you have finished your cup of joe!

Contact (360) 651-2900 today for more information about dental hygiene. Devoted Family Dental is Washington’s favorite family dentist!