If you are older, you may already know that bad diet habits hurt our teeth. It’s frustrating but true that many fun foods aren’t good for our waistline or our teeth. If you are younger, well, consider yourself warned.
As our teeth age, our diet begins to show on our teeth. It often happens whether we brushed and flossed or not. It happens faster, of course, if we haven’t paid attention to our dental care.
If we want to keep our pearly whites, we need to assert our control over our diet. We need to think about what’s on our plate or in our glass as preventive medicine for our teeth. It turns out that a good diet for your physical health will also make your teeth stay healthier.
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Candy, Cake or Broccoli
Of course, most of us will choose candy or cake over broccoli. However, if we skip vegetables and indulge in sweets day after day, that’s when there is a major impact on our teeth. Sweet foods leave bacteria on your teeth for twenty minutes or more. Saliva can only do so much to clean it off. If you are eating vegetables, saliva is activated. So there’s a big difference between cake and broccoli even before you step on the scales.
Soda, Coffee, Tea or Water
We are told to drink water because it’s good for our bodies. It’s equally important for our teeth. Tea and coffee will stain teeth over time. If sugar is in there, the destruction is even faster. Sugar leaves bacteria on your teeth. That leads to plaque build up. Sodas have phosphoric acid, an enemy of your enamel. If you simply choose water more often and these other drinks less often, you are protecting your teeth. Furthermore, water rinses off substances from your teeth. That’s water for the win!
Potato Chips, Tortilla Chips, or Celery
Every time we eat chips, we are eating something starchy and sticky. This leaves residue on our teeth that is directly tied to plaque build up . Vegetables are different. They tend to actually improve our teeth by increasing our natural saliva. That moisture keeps plaque-causing particles loose and helps wash them away.
Hard Foods and Fibrous Foods
Fibrous foods can be good for your teeth. Natural, these foods are meant to be chewed. On the other hand, hard foods are quite the opposite. If you bite down on a piece of hard candy, you may end up with a missing tooth.
The Truth About Fruit
Apples, berries, bananas, and other fruits have nutrients in them that are good for your overall health, and that includes your teeth. However, when it comes to eating, it pays to brush your teeth soon after eating fruit. Fruit contains natural sugars and, in some cases, citric acid.
Perhaps, now that you know these facts, you will find eating healthier to be easier. You’ll be doing your body and your teeth a favor at the same time. Now that’s smart.