Do you know that certain foods you eat can affect your oral health? When you leave these food particles in your mouth, they form plaque and lead to cavities. The plaque offers bacteria a favorable habitat for growth. These bacteria attack your teeth, which can result in cavities and other dental issues.

You need to be aware of the foods and drinks that can damage your teeth because every food you eat passes through your mouth. You can discuss what meals and drinks you should avoid for improved dental health with your dentist. The following are common foods and drinks that can cause cavities:

  1. Sugary Foods

Consuming too much sugar might be detrimental to your oral and overall health. If you visit your dentist, they will mention how sugar can harm your gums and teeth. Your mouth serves as a battlefield for both healthy and bad germs, as it is a stop for all the meals and beverages you consume.

Numerous dental studies have shown that these harmful bacteria generate acids in your mouth as they break down sugar. It implies that the bacteria produce additional acids when you keep on consuming sugary meals.

Do you know your saliva shields you from harm in your mouth? Despite this, consuming a lot of sugary meals causes your mouth to have a lot of acids that your saliva cannot neutralize. The acid produced damages the enamel of your teeth. Over time, the acid erodes the enamel on your teeth and encourages the growth of cavities.

How Harmful Germs Are Drawn to Sugar

In addition to producing acids that eat away at the enamel, sugar attracts undesirable microorganisms that promote gingivitis and gum disorders. These conditions can harm the protective layer holding your teeth in place by causing your gums to recede from your teeth.

How Sugar Consumption Affects the Acidity of Your Tongue

Dangerous bacteria like Streptococcus can be detected in your mouth. Bacteria that thrive on sugar produce plaque, a sticky film your dentist removes during dental cleaning. If you do not remove the plaque in your mouth, it becomes acidic and destroys the enamel on your teeth.

Effects of Solid Sugars

Do you know that you can find sugar in many foodstuffs? For example, you can find sugars in natural foods like honey, vegetables, and fruits, as well as in processed foods like cakes and brownies. Foods containing white processed sugars are bad since they create a sticky surface on your teeth, which is difficult for the saliva to wash away.

Mouthwash, flossing, and brushing are good techniques to remove the residue. Although you should moderately take sugar, snacking on high-sugar foods can harm your teeth.

Sugary Drinks' Effects on Teeth

You might be doing more harm to your teeth when you drink sweet beverages than when you eat sugary foods. Acids in sugary drinks like soda may affect your teeth. A sticky film of toxins forms on your tongue due to the sweetening chemical in sodas. On this layer, harmful bacteria flourish and generate cavities and acids.

  • Candies and Sweets

If you want to eat anything sweet, choosing something that will dissolve quickly on your tongue is best because saliva will wash the sugars out of your mouth. Candy with plenty of sugar, like caramels, jelly beans, and lollipops, can cause tooth decay. Also, it is difficult to wash them out of your mouth. These candies encourage plaque development after sticking to your teeth. Bad bacteria that create acids and cause cavities will be drawn to the plaque.

  • Breath Mints

Many people use breath mints to keep their breath fresh. Do you know this lifesaver can do much more than just do good? Many breath mints contain sugar. Once you suck them, you stash them in your mouth for a long time as you slowly enjoy them.

These mints later melt and cover your gums and teeth with sugar. As you know, sugars provide a conducive environment for bacterial survival. The bacteria then damage your teeth and cause cavities and other dental issues.

  1. Starchy Foods

Are you aware that diets high in starch can harm your teeth? Pasta, bread, and chips are examples of starchy foods. Starches are how carbohydrates start, but when you eat them, your body changes them into simple sugars. Until you brush your teeth, the sugars from the starches that were converted to sugar stay in your mouth. Simple sugars and bacteria mix to produce acid, which erodes the enamel on your teeth.

  • White Bread

White bread tastes great, especially when spread with butter or jam. Unfortunately, eating sticky bread can damage your teeth. Refined carbohydrates included in bread are later converted to sugar. The sugars cause cavities to form. Less sugar and more nutrition can be found in whole-grain bread. So choose bread with less sugar while you are buying it.

  • Potato Chips

Are you a chip lover? In particular, that crunch? Your teeth are at risk because of this. A lot of starch can be found in potato chips. It can be tapped in between your teeth, promoting the growth of oral germs and plaque formation.

Since many people eat potato chips every day, they subject their teeth to sugar for a long time. After eating potato chips, it is best to rinse your mouth immediately.

  1. Acidic Foods

In addition to sugar, acidic foods erode the enamel of your teeth, a process known as tooth erosion. How does tooth erosion work? Tooth erosion ruins the appearance of your teeth and makes it possible for harmful bacteria to penetrate your tooth enamel, which can lead to infections and cavities.

Tooth erosive processes are irreversible. You start to experience dental sensitivity and pain when drinking hot or cold liquids once your teeth degrade. You also experience the following:

  • In extreme circumstances, an abscess forms.
  • Discover tooth discoloration.
  • Find out if your dental fillings have been changed.

If you have tooth erosion, you need crowns, tooth extractions, or root canal procedures. Your dentist may suggest veneers as a way to enhance your smile. Be careful not to consume too much citrus, such as oranges or citrus-flavored fizzy beverages.

Citrus fruits and tomatoes, both healthy meals, have moderate acids that might damage your teeth's enamel. Eat them with your meal rather than alone.

Citrus fruits, for instance, contain citric acid, which can quickly destroy the enamel of your teeth. Once the acids damage the enamel, your teeth become more vulnerable to cavities and dental decay.

Using a straw when drinking citrus juice is advised since it reduces the possibility of sugars and citric acid adhering to the surface of your teeth. Other fruits, like raisins, are sweet and sticky, which can help cavity-causing bacteria survive and continue to produce acids that erode your teeth even after you stop eating them.

Soft Drinks with Carbonation

Do you enjoy drinking soda? Drinking them harms your dental health because they contain acids, whether or not they contain sugars. The acids that also cause cavities and tooth decay can erode your mouth. You should limit your consumption of soft drinks to avoid cavities.

Consider drinking plenty of water or unsweetened tea if you are thirsty. Numerous beverages help bacteria survive, which ultimately causes cavities. Soft drinks might also cause dry mouth. Removing food particles left in your mouth might be challenging if you need more saliva.

Sports Beverages

Businesses frequently promote sports beverages to athletes. Thus, many people believe that sports drinks are generally healthy. These beverages damage dental health even though they can replenish electrolytes and stop dehydration. Sports drinks, like soda, contain a lot of carbohydrates and acids, which erode the enamel on your teeth.

  1. Drying Foods

Do you know that consuming too much sodium can increase your risk of developing heart issues, stroke, or high blood pressure? Similar to diets high in sugar, salt can hurt your teeth. While salt cannot harm your teeth's enamel, mixing sodium with carbohydrates can.

Bacteria feed on the simple sugars in carbohydrate-containing foods and produce acid when you eat them. The likelihood of tooth decay and cavities increases with the amount of acid that contacts your tooth surface.

Sodium might make teeth more brittle. Calcium is essential for the health and growth of your teeth. High-salt foods are associated with significant calcium loss through urine and tooth loss. Alcohol is a component of drying foods.

Alcohol

Everyone is aware that drinking alcohol can be harmful to one's overall health. Do you know that one of drinking alcohol's major negative effects is a dry mouth? Do you know that when your mouth is dry, there is insufficient saliva to keep your teeth healthy?

The saliva in your mouth is crucial. For instance, it moistens your lips and helps you rinse away any food residue. Once again, saliva contains minerals and proteins that combat gum disorders, tooth decay, and oral infections. Therefore, drinking alcohol can hurt your tongue.

Other Cavity-Causing Foods

The following are also other foods that can cause cavities when you eat them:

  • Coffee

Coffee's primary impact on your teeth is the development of surface stains. The stains are challenging to remove, and some whitening techniques might harm your teeth, making them more vulnerable to erosion and plaque development. Sugar residue, which forms plaque and aids bacterial survival in your mouth, is the primary cause of cavities.

Depending on the type of coffee you drink and the amount of sugar you add, the beverage may encourage acid production in your mouth and promote tooth decay and cavities. Coffee can cause bad breath in addition to causing cavities and tooth damage.

  • Ice Chewing

Have you ever thought that ice might be a meal to avoid to promote your oral health? Ice keeps your body cold since it is made of water. You do not want to chew it, though. Your teeth's enamel may be harmed if you consume ice regularly. Also, you raise the chance of teeth that are cracked, chipped, or shattered. Regularly eating ice might exacerbate other issues like weakened fillings and sensitive teeth.

  • Hard and Dense Nuts

You may not be aware, but nuts can harm your teeth. You risk breaking a tooth if you enjoy eating hard nuts like almonds and peanuts. Your teeth can sustain exterior injuries from cold nuts. As a result, You should consume nuts in moderation and at room temperature. Once you have finished the nuts, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.

  • Sticky Cuisine

The sugar content in sticky foods is high. Sugar is bad for your teeth on its own. These meals take a long time to chew because they stick to your teeth, and the sugar stays on the surface of your teeth for a long time. Sticky foods on your teeth contain more cavity-causing germs. Taffy, dried fruits, and caramel are examples of chewy meals.

  • Dry Fruits

Do you consider eating dry fruits to be a healthy lifestyle choice? Apricots, raisins, and figs are a few examples of dry fruits that are sweet and sticky. These foods stick in your mouth and leave a sweet taste after consumption. Sugar residue, which forms plaque and aids bacterial survival in your mouth, is the primary cause of cavities. After eating dry fruits, you must thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.

  • Chewable Vitamins

Although vitamins are essential for your health, they do more harm than good when you take the chewable variety. Chewable vitamins are sticky, and they contain a lot of sugar. When you combine the two, your teeth will not withstand enamel erosion, leading to bad breath, gum disease, and decay.

  • Pasta Sauce

You derive pasta sauce from acidic tomatoes. Do you know that when you use pasta sauce on your spaghetti, you damage your teeth in two ways? First, the sauce is acidic. Second, the pasta breaks down into sugar. The acid can erode your tooth's enamel.

Alternatively, the pasta generates sugars that facilitate the survival of bacteria in your mouth. You can use cheese rather than pasta sauce to eat pasta without risking your teeth.

Contact an Experienced Dentist Near Me

Oral health is imperative and plays a crucial role in the quality of your life. Tooth cavities and other dental issues can influence your interactions with your friends. If you have dental problems like cavities, you want to contact a dentist with many years of experience as soon as possible. 

At Northridge Advanced Dentistry, we are ready to help you achieve healthy teeth, a healthy mouth, and a bright smile. We make your oral health our top priority. If you seek dental services in Northridge, CA, we are here to help you. Contact us today at 818-701-3010 and speak with one of our dentists.