Enemies of the Teeth: Five Common foods to Avoid.

We all know a genuine smile comes from the heart, but a beautiful smile starts with healthy teeth. The teeth are the facial features that hold a smile together.

Your mouth is the first point of contact for all nutrients that enter the body, so any signs of malnourishment will usually appear there before anywhere else.

Good oral hygiene is not just regularly brushing your teeth twice a day. It is more than that, such as dental flossing and knowing the proper flossing methods, which decreases the chances of tooth decay and gum diseases.

Below are listed the food and drinks you should avoid for a healthy tooth:

1. ALCOHOL: (BEERS AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES)

Thought the golden liquid won’t make the list? Sorry for dashing your hopes. It’s clear that the feeling of friendship and togetherness, among other benefits, is probably the reason for a Happy Hour-friendly get-together at the bar. But after a round of some of these alcoholic drinks, do you ever notice your mouth drying out? 

Yes, that’s one of alcohol’s several magic feats. A dry mouth has little or no saliva—–bad news for your teeth. Saliva rids your teeth of food particles and also helps to repair early signs of gum disease and tooth decay. Counter this by drinking plenty of water to hydrate your mouth to boost saliva production. Or stop taking alcohol altogether. Otherwise, you just might get roasted for bad dental conditions in one of those gatherings of yours.

2. REFINED STARCHY FOODS (BREAD, CEREALS)

If by any chance you live in Germany, we might just have to live with the fact that you may very well not listen to this advice.  That’s because Germany is arguably the land of bread and beer. But for your benefit, we will give the advice.

The breakdown of bread, and carbohydrates ‌starts in your mouth. After you’re done punishing the morsel of bread into your mouth to a near paste, bacteria in the mouth waste no time in fermenting the sugars found in the food. This produces an acid which erodes your enamel and affects your teeth in the long run.

3. EXTRA HARD FOODS

Nigerians are known for resilience and survival against all odds. Therefore, it’s normal for a typical Nigerian to want to ‘form hard.’ But then, not with extra hard foods, e.g. nuts and hard candies.

Research shows ‌you’re more likely to come away with a chipped or cracked tooth if you have a habit of crunching hard foods. It should naturally come as a surprise that some folks eat ice. Are you surprised? We are not. To each its own. But we know you desire strong teeth and ‌great oral health. So unless you accidentally bump your head, please stay away from the ice.

4. BAKED FOODS

Cakes. Cookies. Pastries. Doughnuts. You name it. These foods are very attractive. And very ‌sweet. Sadly, ‌lies the problem. These foods are usually ridiculously loaded with sugar to boost their desirability. This, coupled with the fact that they’re refined carbs, makes them bad for your teeth, as they contribute to the degradation of your tooth enamel. Next time you see the above foods, endeavour to look away… but it’s hard, isn’t it? But you can do it‌?

5. SODAS, (SOFT DRINKS), ENERGY DRINKS.

Do you know that people who drink 3 or more cans of soft drink daily have 62% more tooth decay, fillings, and tooth loss than people that don’t drink soft drinks?

Certain bacteria in your mouth are always happy when you guzzle sodas, energy drinks, or other sweetened beverages. Why? Because you’re a benevolent provider of their food: sugar. What these bacteria do is that they feed on the sugar in your beverage drink to produce certain acids that break down your enamel. But you know what’s worse?

These beverages already come acidic, wreaking havoc on your teeth soon as they touch your enamel by action of drinking. Next, these food-loving bacteria ‌feed on their food (the sugar in your beverage) which then produces acids that further break down your enamel. Sounds like problematic workers finishing a work shift and handing over to the next batch of problematic workers, don’t you think? This two-pronged attack on your teeth will, in the long run, make your teeth deteriorate fast.

Bottom-line

Not all yummy foods are bad for your teeth!

Your mouth is the first point of contact for all nutrients that enter the body, so any signs of malnourishment will usually appear there before anywhere else.

Subject to popular belief though, you don’t have to ditch the chocolate and live on greens to maintain a healthy mouth.

You can enjoy:

– Yogurts

– Fruit and Veg

– Cheese

– Fish

– Green and black tea

– And even certain types of chocolate!

Maintaining good oral health will not be a tug of war if we know what, besides our teeth cleaning efforts, foods strike out from our list of daily preferred foods. It’s important to visit the dentist at least once a year and a hygienist, twice a year for preventative dentistry. Preventative dentistry can save you from going through pain and discomfort in the future.⁠ If a dentist can catch cavities before they get too serious, they can be filled and you will not have to worry about a possible root canal or worse. ⁠