The first advice we give out at Premier Dental Care to anyone seeking healthier gums and teeth is to brush twice a day, floss once daily and get professional teeth-cleaning frequently. The second piece of advice we give out is to cautiously monitor the food and drink choices you make. Foods high in sugar and foods tough to chew in particular can be hurtful to your oral health. Here are a few foods you should keep an eye out for:
Soft breads. Soft breads are particularly spongy, and when they get wedged between your teeth, the resultant food remnants can contribute to advance of tooth decay and periodontal disease. What’s more, soft breads are particularly high in sugar, which turns to tooth-erosive bacterial acids when left to sit in your mouth for too long.
Sports drinks. Electrolytes! Athletic performance! Colored sweat! While these things might make great (and even motivational) commercials, sports drinks are actually not good for your dental health. Like sodas, sports drinks contain relatively large amounts of sugars, which can contribute to the accrual of plaque on your teeth. Leave sports drinks for athletic performances and choose for water else-wise.
Sticky foods. Sticky foods like dried fruits and certain candies stick to your pearly whites and are hard to eliminate even with teeth-brushing. As most tooth erosion and gum disease is a result of bacteria feeding on debris stuck in your mouth, foods lodged to your chompers can be a major problem. Next time you want to have a sticky snack, make sure to carefully flush your oral cavity out with water afterward.
These tips are just the tip of the iceberg. Dr. Marla Wilson and the team at Premier Dental Care in Indianapolis, Indiana, would love to help you learn more about foods awesome and bad for your chompers. Give us a call at 317-787-6625 now to pencil in your next appointment.