Tooth-Friendly Foods & Drinks

You have a good oral hygiene routine to keep your pearly whites clean. You brush twice a day, floss every day, and visit the dentist regularly. But did you know that what you eat and drink could be undoing all that hard work? There are also foods and beverages that can help your healthy efforts.

Worst Foods for Teeth

Sugary foods are, of course, some of the worst things for our teeth. Sticky candies are especially bad because they sit on your teeth and become a breeding ground for cavity-causing bacteria. If you just have to satisfy that sweet tooth, make sure to brush and floss afterwards so the sugar doesn’t just sit on your teeth.

Refined carbs also cause problems for teeth. Carbs begin to break down into sugar while you’re chewing, so just like sweet desserts, carbs can lead to cavities and other tooth issues.

Acidic foods like citrus fruits can erode the enamel of your teeth. Too much erosion and you’ll start to experience issues with tooth sensitivity on top of potential decay and cavities.

Tooth-Friendly Foods

Although they can have a decent amount of sugar in them, fibrous fruits like apples provide great vitamins that can strengthen your teeth. The same goes for vegetables like raw carrots and celery. Plus, the act of chewing these fruits and veggies acts to clean your teeth a bit and stimulates the production of saliva, rinsing bacteria and other food particles out of your mouth.

After a meal, chew on a piece of sugar-free gum made with Xylitol. This ingredient has been shown to have cavity preventing properties, so you can improve your mouth health while freshening your breath. Just be sure to keep the pack of gum out of reach of pets because it is extremely dangerous to pups!

Worst Drinks for Teeth

We all know soda is one of the worst things we can drink when it comes to our teeth. It coats our teeth with its loads of sugar and leads to decay and cavities. Juices and sports drinks aren’t much better than soda when it comes to the amount of sugar they have.

Coffee and red wine are notorious for causing tooth discoloration. While teeth whitening can help remedy that, it’s always better to prevent the discoloration in the first place if you can!

Tooth-Friendly Drinks

Water is the number one best thing you can drink for your body and your teeth. Water cleanses your mouth of unwanted food particles and bacteria, it helps prevent dry mouth symptoms, and helps with saliva production which aids in food digestion. Most drinking water also contains fluoride, which is known to help strengthen tooth enamel, so you’re doing your teeth so much good by drinking as much water each day as you can.

At The Perfect Smile Dentistry, we aim to help you take control of your dental health so you can enjoy a lifetime of beautiful smiles. If you have questions about the best food and drinks for your teeth, ask one of our team members about tooth-friendly nutrition. Contact us today to schedule your next appointment.