Foods Bad For Your Smile

Soft Drinks
These beverages’ high acid content can strip minerals from your tooth’s enamel. You may have been told that this is only the case in dark sodas, but this is proven untrue. In fact, studies have shown that clear, citrus-flavored soft drinks dissolve enamel 2-5 times more than colas.

Sports Drinks
It’s important to rehydrate, but look into what beverage you’re reaching for. Electrolyte-packed sports drinks are usually only necessary for high endurance athletes. Sports drinks are actually more harmful than juice or soda by having the highest concentration of strong acids.

Sticky/Sour Candies
Sour patch kids and sweetarts are hard to resist but the sour candies we know and love are very damaging. That pucker factor comes from “tangy” acids.

Mouth-Drying Consumables
This can include medications or alcoholic beverages that can cause dry mouth. Dry mouth is dangerous to the teeth and gums, so it’s important to keep your mouth hydrated. If this is coming from a medication, use a fluoride rinse.

Vinegar
Vinegar can be found in potato chips, pickles, salad dressings, and sauces. Those who consume a lot of vinegar-containing foods have higher risk of enamel erosion. Teenagers are more at risk of this because their tooth enamel is not mature.

Dried Fruit & Fruit Juices
Dried fruit like raisins and prunes are very sticky and cling to the teeth. As the water is dried away, their sugars are highly concentrated. Similarly, juices are typically very high in sugar and are a hazard to tooth enamel. These do, however provide several vitamins and antioxidants so don’t ride them off completely. Nonetheless, try to avoid sucking on citrus fruits.

If these items are too hard to resist, rinse your mouth with water after consuming. Also don’t brush right away but rather wait at least 30 minutes. Tooth enamel is vulnerable to damage after eating foods high in acidity, so don’t worsen the damage by brushing right away.

Stay tuned for the best foods for your teeth.