Dental health is crucial when it comes to your overall well-being. The causes of tooth decay are the same across all age groups. You will develop cavities when you have leftover food particles in your mouth. These leftover food particles lead to plaque formation in your mouth. Bacteria then thrive in your mouth due to plaque formation. These bacteria will lead to bad breath and other oral health issues.

When you practice good oral hygiene and have a proper diet, you go a long way to protecting your teeth from cavities. Good oral hygiene goes a long way in preventing plaque buildup, like flossing daily and brushing your teeth after every meal. However, you may still develop cavities and other oral health issues even after exercising good oral practices if you take some types of foods.

Candy and Sweets

If you have a sweet tooth, it's advisable to take sweets that dissolve quickly, as the saliva will wash away the sugar. Eating sugary sweets that will take some time in your mouth, such as jelly beans, lollipops, and caramels sticks to your mouth and are not easily washed away by your saliva. When these sweets stick to your teeth and gum, they help plaque build up. Bacteria will thrive in your mouth, producing an acid that damages your teeth enamel leading to tooth decay and cavities.

It would be best if you tried to limit your intake of cookies, cakes, and other desserts as they may contribute to your tooth decay. After taking your sweets, you should take a lot of water which will help wash away the sugar from your mouth. If you must have your sweets, try to eat them after your main meal. You will have limited your intake by doing this, as you are full from your main meal. Brush your teeth after eating sweets to remove any leftover particles from your mouth.

Red and White Wine

A glass of wine can be relaxing, especially after a hard day at work. It contains many acids that will wear your teeth' enamel away. Wine, especially red wine, contains tannins which are compounds that can stain your teeth and dry your mouth out. A dry mouth can lead to bad breath and tooth decay. When you drink red or white wine, you should brush your teeth after 30 minutes to ensure you don't have any acidity left. Brushing your teeth after taking the wine will help prevent plaque formation and teeth staining.

Soft And Carbonated Drinks

If you love soft drinks, whether containing sugar or not, you risk your dental health as they contain acid. This acid can lead to tooth decay by eroding your enamel. To attain optimum dental health, you will have to avoid taking soft drinks.

When you are thirsty, make a habit of drinking water or unsweetened tea. Most soft drinks enable bacteria to thrive in your mouth, which will erode your enamel leading to cavities. Additionally, soft drinks dry your mouth. Without saliva to wash away leftover food particles from your mouth, you will be prone to bad breath and dental cavities, among other dental health issues.

It is important to avoid brushing your teeth immediately after taking soft drinks as this can be harmful. It would help if you realized that the acid found in soft drinks affects your teeth’s structure, and when you brush immediately after taking them, you are making them susceptible to abrasion. Abrasion will then hasten your teeth’s decay process. To reduce the high chances of tooth decay after drinking soft drinks or taking sugary treats, you should make it a habit to sip water afterward.

Refined Carbohydrate Snacks

They stick to your teeth' grooves long after eating them when you take crackers. The leftover particles that stick to your teeth will lead to plaque formation, which helps bacteria thrive in your mouth. These bacteria produce acid that erodes your teeth' enamel, leading to tooth decay and periodontal diseases. You may not think that crackers are harmful to your health as sweets are, but they contain sugar as one of their ingredients. Additionally, crackers are starch, which can convert into sugars.

If you have kids, you may fall victim to having them eat refined carbs, as most kids love them, though they are harmful to their teeth. These refined carbs break down quickly into sugar and are a leading cause of cavities in children. Refined carbs are more toxic when taken at dinner time as they have ample time to harm your child's enamel overnight.

You will realize that one aspect that makes crackers harmful is that most people don't think they can cause cavities. You can try eating crackers with other meals instead of taking them as a snack, which will help in the digestive process. Also, eating crackers can lead to inflammation, which studies show is linked to the intake of highly refined carbohydrates. Body inflammation plays a crucial role in dental health issues like gingivitis and periodontitis.

Brushing your teeth immediately after eating will help immensely. But if you are unable to, don't panic. Try and rinse your mouth with water. Apart from removing leftover food particles, water will help in saliva production. Saliva is essential for oral health as it helps prevent a dry mouth and washes away leftovers from your mouth.

Pickles

Regular eating of pickles can be harmful to your teeth. Vinegar is an essential ingredient while making pickles, and it is acidic. This acid can harm your teeth by eroding the enamel away, resulting in cavities. Another ingredient used while making pickles is sugar which contributes to tooth decay and cavities. However, the probiotics found in pickles can help prevent tooth decay.

If you can not avoid eating pickles, especially those soaked in vinegar, you should eat them with cheese or something that does not contain many acids. Try to drink a lot of water after eating pickles to wash away their acidity.

Sports Beverages

You should avoid taking sports drinks, even though they are sweet, and you feel like you need the carbs after your workout. Most sports drinks are sticky and contain sugar and acid, which will stick to your mouth after taking them. Try drinking water as often as possible and after your workout.

Citrus Fruits

Nutritionists recommend eating fruits as part of your balanced diet. The problem is eating many citrus fruits as they contain citric acid, which can quickly erode your teeth's enamel. When the citric acid erronds your enamel, your teeth will be prone to tooth decay and cavities. You may opt to take citrus juice, but if you do so, use a straw as this will minimize the risk of citric acid and sugars sticking to your teeth and gums.

Breath Mints

Breath mints are essential for keeping your breath fresh, but this lifesaver can do more harm than good. Most breath mints are made of sugar, and when you suck on them, you stash them on your cheek to last longer and enjoy them slowly. They then melt against your teeth over time, covering your teeth and gum with sugar. Sugar helps bacteria thrive in your mouth, resulting in tooth decay and other gum diseases.

Pasta Sauce

Pasta sauce is made from acidic tomatoes. When you use pasta sauce on your spaghetti, you risk harming your teeth twice, first, from the sauce, which is acidic, and from pasta which breaks down into sugars. The acid will erode your teeth's enamel while pasta produces sugar which helps bacteria thrive in your mouth. One way to ensure you eat your pasta without highly risking your teeth is to use cheese instead of pasta sauce.

Sugar

Sugar comes in different forms, like refined, brown, or honey. The amount you consume plays a crucial role in your dental health regarding sugar. It doesn't matter how often you eat sugar, but its quantity.

Sugar leaves a residual acidic environment in your mouth after consumption. When you drink or eat sugar, you will create an acidic environment in your mouth. If you then have a habit of eating sugar now and then, you continue creating an acidic environment in your mouth. This acid will erode your enamel, leading to cavities, bad breath, and dental decay.

Sugar can also be found in our food, like spaghetti and juices, even on foodstuffs labeled as sugar-free. You should realize that most foodstuffs we eat contain natural sugars even if there are no added sugars.

When eating food that contains a lot of sugar, eat them together with your main meals. When you have your main meal, your mouth will produce enough saliva to help digestion. Saliva helps in the neutralization of the acid produced after eating sugars.

The acid produced by sugars usually affects your teeth structure, and you should therefore brush after 20 minutes. This waiting before brushing your teeth helps prevent tooth decay and cavity formation by giving your saliva ample time to wash away the acid.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sometimes you may want to detox, and apple cider vinegar (ACV) helps. However, it is acidic and can result in tooth decay as it will erode your teeth's enamel quickly. If you are using apple cider vinegar, drink it at once or mix it with water. Avoid sipping AVC slowly because, by doing so, you are exposing your teeth to enamel erosion. After drinking apple cider vinegar, remember to rinse your mouth with water thoroughly.

Sour Candies

Candies are bad for your oral health, but the risk is doubled for sour candies. Sour candies contain different types of acids which erode your enamel quickly, and they are also sticky. They are sticky, making them more harmful as they take longer in your mouth, giving the acid more time to harm your enamel. If you must take candies, ensure you eat them quickly and then rinse your mouth with water.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is not a healthy habit and is harmful to your mouth leading to dry mouth. When you have a dry mouth, you cannot produce sufficient saliva, which is essential in keeping your mouth free from bad breath and tooth decay. Saliva washes away any leftover food particles, ensuring that bacteria don't thrive in your mouth. Additionally, saliva helps repair mouth injuries and early signs of tooth decay. Drink a lot of water to aid in saliva production and minimize the effects of alcohol in your mouth.

Potato Chips

If you love potato chips, especially that crunch, you expose your teeth to harm. Potato chips are full of starch, which quickly becomes sugar that can be trapped in the spaces between your teeth. When these sugars are trapped between your teeth, they help bacteria thrive in your mouth, resulting in plaque formation.

Since most people enjoy eating potato chips slowly, you expose your mouth to sugar for a prolonged time. It would be best if you rinsed with water and then flossed after eating your bag of potato chips.

Sweet And Sticky Candies

Eating candy is one way of harming your teeth. You may decide to have sugar-free and avoid those with sugar. If this is your case, you are still exposing your teeth to harm as these sugar-free candies are sweet and sticky. When these candies stick to your teeth, they hurt them by producing acid, which erronds your enamel away.

By eating too many candies, you will be exposing your teeth to sugar which is harmful. When you take hard candies, you significantly risk harming your teeth as they can chip away your tooth and the sugars.

Chewing Crunchy Ice

Though ice is made of water and doesn't contain any sugars, it can be harmful to your teeth when you chew on it. Chewing ice will expose your teeth to harm as it can chip away or help your teeth enamel to suffer from fractures. Try to drink water and avoid chewing ice.

Popcorn

Though popcorn is a healthy snack, it can also damage your teeth immensely. Popcorn can be stuck on your teeth, and its kernel can be stuck under your gum, causing more harm. Additionally, you can chip your tooth when you bite a kernel hard.

Coffee

If you are a coffee lover, you should know that coffee in its natural form is a healthy beverage. However, it is harmful when you add sugar. Frequent drinking of caffeinated coffee can lead to a dry mouth and staining your teeth. If you must drink coffee, try to minimize the sugar you add and rinse your mouth with water afterward.

Chewable Vitamins

Vitamins are essential for your health, but you may do more harm than good when taking the chewable variety. Chewable vitamins contain a lot of sugar, and they are also sticky. When you combine these two, your teeth don't stand a chance against enamel erosion leading to decay, bad breath, and gum disease.

Foods Which Contains Vinegar

Vinegar is acidic as it has low pH, which causes tooth decay. You should avoid most food that contains vinegar-like hot sauces, salad dressings, and marinade.

Dried Fruits

You may assume that eating dry fruits is a healthy way to live. However, this is not the case as some dry fruits like figs, raisins, and apricots are sticky and sugary. When you eat these fruits, they will stick to your mouth, leaving sugar. This sugar residue will create plaque and help bacteria thrive in your mouth, resulting in tooth decay, gingivitis, and periodontitis. It will help rinse your mouth with water after eating dry fruits.

Hard And Dense Nuts

You should know that nuts can damage your teeth. If you love taking dense nuts, like almonds and peanuts, you risk having your teeth suffer fractures. You should avoid taking cold nuts as they can damage your teeth externally. Try taking your nuts when they are at room temperature, and eat them in small quantities. Also, remember to rinse your mouth with water afterward.

White Bread

A piece of white bread is delicious, especially when you take it with some peanut butter or jelly. Unfortunately, this tasty bread can harm your teeth by sticking and staying on your teeth long after eating them. Bread is made of refined carbohydrates, which will turn into sugars afterward. These sugars will lead to dental cavity formation. When buying bread, kindly go for

one that doesn't have to contain a high amount of refined sugars. You can try eating whole-grain bread; it is more nutritious and contains less sugar.

Baby Carrots

Carrots are a healthy snack but can harm your teeth, especially while eating them while chilled. You should eat carrots that are not chilled to minimize the risk of chipping your teeth.

Contact A Los Angeles Dentist Near Me

Oral health is vital and contributes significantly to the quality of your life. Gingivitis, bad breath, and other oral health issues will influence how you interact with other people daily. You want to tackle your day with a bright smile without fearing poor oral health. If you have any dental problems, you can contact our team of experienced oral health professionals at Washington Dental. Our offices are in Carson, Los Angeles, Torrance, and Lomita, CA.

We want to help you achieve your desire to have the brightest smile, healthy teeth, and mouth. We pride ourselves on making your oral health our top-most priority. Contact us at any of our branches if you have any questions regarding your oral health or schedule an appointment with us.