Many people know that candy and other sugary foods can cause tooth decay and cavities. However, not everyone knows that certain foods that are actually considered healthy are just as bad for the teeth.
Here’s a list of 5 foods that can wreck havoc on the teeth if they are consumed regularly without maintaining properly dental hygiene:
White Wine
Because of its color, many people think that white wine doesn’t stain teeth like red wine. However, Pinot Grigo, Chardonnay and other white wines are very acidic and can eat away the tooth enamel quickly. When the tooth enamel breaks down, the teeth become sensitive and easily stain from other foods.
However, consuming white wine with cheese can help minimize the acidic activity in the mouth.
Potato Chips
This salty and crunchy snack can cause a lot of problems for the teeth. When potato chips are chewed, they break into small pieces and lodge inside the crevices of the teeth.
Since they are simple carbohydrates, they break down into sugars by the saliva in the mouth, which makes them as bad as candy for the teeth.
Hard Foods
Foods that require biting down hard, such as popcorn, carrots, ice cubes, etc., can chip or crack the teeth, making them prone to decay.
Chips and cracks can also give an opportunity for the bacteria to infiltrate deeper into the teeth and cause decay in the roots, which is even more painful and difficult to treat.
Dried Fruits
While dried fruits are great for your waistline, they are just as bad for your teeth. Fruits contain a high level of fructose in the form of sugar. Dried fruits, such as raisins, are sticky and adhere to the teeth leading to tooth decay.
A great alternative to dried fruits are dry fruits (which aren’t naturally or synthetically dried). They’re abundant with protein and contain almost no sugar.
Sugar-free Drinks
There is actually no use in substituting sugar-free drinks with sports drinks or sodas to protect the teeth.
According to a study conducted by University of Michigan, sugar-free drinks cause just as much enamel erosion as regular sodas. The reason? Sugar-free drinks have high levels of acidic additives, which erode the tooth enamel just as much as a sugary drink, leading to tooth decay.
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