bad habits which damage teeth and oral health

Bad Habits Which Damage Teeth and Oral Health – Food and Nutrition

Author: PV Smiles Reem Kidess | Posted on with comments

bad habits which damage teeth and oral health There’s no denying; we live in a fast-paced society. Almost all of us deal with some level of stress in our lives which can drive us to develop bad habits which damage teeth and oral health. We are driven to convenience, which often means sacrificing in some other area of our health. Unfortunately with nutrition, this means we swap nutrient-dense foods with sugary, starchy foods.

Bad Habits Which Damage Teeth and Oral Health – Food and Nutrition

Bad habits which damage teeth and oral health include food and nutrition. Here are some of them:

  • Soda and Sports Drinks – Probably one of the most obvious ones, soda contains a lot of sugar (average of 11 tsp of sugar per serving) which eats away at tooth enamel. What might not be as obvious though, is that diet soda may contain even more acid which is produced by the artificial sweeteners they use in lieu of sugar. Sports drinks are also high in sugar and acid.
  • Fruit Juice – Fruit juice is full of vitamins and nutrients, but it’s also full of sugar. Limit your fruit juice intake and consider diluting it with water to reduce the sugar/per/ounce ratio.
  • Coffee – Coffee is also acidic, but if you must have it, brush your teeth or chew on a sugarless gum afterwards. Coffee can also stain your teeth, which can often be whitened at your dentist’s office.
  • Bottles at Bedtime – Leaving a bottle of milk or formula in the crib with baby at night exposes their developing teeth to more sugars which can lead to tooth decay.
  • Snacking, Candy, Cough Drops – Snacking throughout the day typically exposes your teeth to starchy foods which then sit there all day long. Snacks like potato chips and gummy bears (which stick to your teeth even longer) can do a lot of damage over time. If you have to snack, try sticking to non-sugary and non-starchy snacks and/or brush and floss after your snack. Cough drops are listed also because, like candy, they contain a lot of sugar.
  • Wine – The acids found in both red and white wines wear at your tooth enamel. Like with coffee, red wines can also stain your teeth.
  • Binge Eating/Bulimia – Not only does eating excessive amounts of food at one time expose your teeth to more starches and sugars, but purging also exposes them to strong stomach acids which can really do a lot of damage to your teeth and cause bad breath. If you struggle in this area, it’s important you seek help from your physician.

It’s not always convenient to make better choices in a fast-paced life, but when it comes to your oral health, this is the only natural set of teeth you get.

Next Week: Bad Habits Which Damage Teeth and Oral Health: Stress, Lifestyle, Etc.