Our teeth play an important role in our daily lives. From their aesthetic purposes to their actual function, and role in our long-term physical health, they’re important to prioritize. Worried you may be unknowingly weakening your teeth? Here are some of the worst foods for your teeth, and a little bit of why.
Damage the look of your teeth
Here are two examples of some of the foods that will damage the look of your teeth from a purely aesthetic point of view.
- Hard candies: From lozenges to suckers, to mints, hard candies can easily chip and nick your teeth as they swirl around your mouth.
- Ice cubes: While great to help you stay cool, chewing on them as food is the worst thing you can possibly do for your teeth. It will chip easily and most won’t even realize it’s happened until after.
Erode enamel
We’ve heard since we were little to protect our enamel. It is what keeps our teeth from softening and wearing away, leaving breakages and infections in the mouth.
- Citrus: Any kind of citrus is loaded with acid and natural sugars, making it one of the worst things possible for your teeth when it comes to the enamel.
- Candy: Another example of food that is loaded with refined sugars and also often will be sticky and tacky, furthering the enamel wear and tear.
Staining
Staining often makes sour teeth look like they’re uncared-for. It also can weaken teeth over time, so paying attention to staining is important!
- Coffee/Tea: Coffee and tea may be delicious and a great way to start your day, but both will coat your teeth and will lead to yellowing as well as other staining that can be a bit frustrating when looking at protecting your teeth.
- Wine: In this case, it mostly refers to red wine, as you can guess. Between the staining and the acidity in the wine itself, wine is — unfortunately — a bad choice for your teeth. Alcohol in general is, actually.
Add on plaque
Plaque can both weaken and wear down your teeth over time, which is part of why proper cleanings are so important. However, these two foods can add to the natural build-up.
- Peanut butter: Peanut butter or anything sticky, like jam or candy, or syrups, are all bad for the teeth. They add plaque to the teeth and it can be harder to take it off without damaging your enamel.
- Nuts: Nuts are bad for chipping, but they also have a lot of starch in them, which will add to the plaque content on your teeth and make it harder to get off.
A little bit of everything
From sugars to plaque build-up, to chipping and more, these two foods are examples of those that are just going to be a disaster for your teeth:
- Dried fruits: Chewing, sticky, sugary, and stain-rich, these are really bad to add to your diet, even if it’s just every once in a while.
- Crackers: Whether they’re soda crackers or something flavoured, crackers are sharp, crunchy, and easy to chip and soften your teeth.
Protect your teeth as much as you can by putting time and effort into the idea of avoiding those foods that deliberately cause problems. If you can, avoid them. If you can’t, minimize them and be careful to protect your teeth by flossing, brushing, and sanitizing your mouth as directed.
