Eating habits that will hurt your teeth
Eating is a guilty pleasure that is cherished by most of us. Apart from food being fuel for our bodies, it acts a mode of soul satisfaction, the journey of food starts from our oral cavity by the action of chewing and transmittance of taste from taste buds on the tongue to the receptors in the brain, thereby providing a sense of satiety. However, being a foodie and loving our pearly whites together presents a conundrum. To enjoy eating a variety of food and taking those smiling selfies calls to protect yourself from unpleasant oral health conditions.
Our dentists inMaroubra advise to you to take care of your teeth when indulging in the following eating habits:
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- Chewing Ice: Chewing ice can often lead to chipped and cracked teeth or may damage the enamel. They can also damage pre-existing dental fillings or crowns.
- Frequent Snacking: Most of us do not bother to brush our teeth after consuming snacks. Thereby, encouraging the harmful bacterial activity due to the presence of food particles constantly throughout the day.
- Drinking sugary, carbonated and acidic drinks: It has been found that drinking carbonated or acidic drinks with a high pH can erode the surface of the enamel, thereby making teeth susceptible to dental caries or decay. In addition to this, the sugar in the drinks can again make the teeth prone to getting damaged.
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- Eating sticky foods: Dental caries or decay is caused by the acids that are released by bacteria’s interaction with food, and sticky foods break into smaller pieces and stick between the teeth for a longer period of time thereby causing more harm. Therefore, sticky foods like chocolates, candies, and raisins, etc. are best avoided. However, if you do consume them, then you should also keep your oral cavity clean by brushing properly.
- Eating starchy and sugary foods: Apart from sugar-containing foods like candies, fermentable carbohydrates containing foods like potatoes and bread increases the risk of dental caries or decay. They might get lodged in the interdental spaces and inflict damage to your pearly whites.
- Night snacking: Eating snacks or meals after brushing your teeth at night is one of the most damage inflicting habit since it exposes your teeth to bacterial activity and acids during the entire duration of sleep.
- Chewing tobacco: Chewing tobacco can lead to many dental and/or oral cavity disorders starting from dental stains, chipping of teeth and leads to many more serious disorders.
- Drinking alcoholic drinks: Studies have shown that drinking excessive alcohol can make teeth vulnerable to dental caries or decay due to the presence of sugar and acidic content. Additionally, it has been seen that drinking alcohol can also lead building up of plaque due to drying of mouth and decreased salivation.
Eating habits play an enormous role in dental health. In order to protect teeth from getting damaged everyone should try and follow a regular oral hygiene routine. To know more about the dos and dont’s, make an appointment with our dental experts at Dental Avenue Maroubra.