Dental Care Basics: Foods To Avoid

Something that many people don’t seem to realize is that dental care does not only involve brushing your teeth, flossing regularly and visiting your dentist. There are actually a few foods that can cause staining of your teeth or some other type of damage, and these should best be avoided in the interests of dental care.

Of course you are probably already aware of the damage that foods laden with sugar can cause, and these are so often the culprits when tooth decay and various other types of tooth disorders are discussed. These are not the only types of foods to avoid however, and there are many other harmful foods that you may not have even been aware of. Along with sweets and sugary foods, some of the more common ones to avoid are discussed below.

Foods that are high in acid content

While they are generally good for health and should indeed be a part of every person’s diet, you should be aware that citrus fruits and any other type of food that contain a considerable amount of acid can be damaging to your teeth. In fact, all foods that have even just a small amount of acid can be the cause of discoloration when consumed often enough. For this reason, such foods should be avoided shortly before bedtime. If you simply have to eat these foods shortly before sleeping, you should at least rinse your mouth and brush your teeth thoroughly after eating.

Dark colored beverages

A good rule of thumb to go by is that any food that can stain white cloth can cause staining of the teeth as well. This would include beverages such as tea, coffee, cola-based sodas, wine, and soy sauce, all of which can cause a fair bit of staining when consumed regularly enough. While avoiding such foods entirely can be close to impossible, you can at least offset the risk of discoloration by rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth thoroughly after consuming such foods.

Sweets, chocolates, and sugary foods

This is one of the most familiar causes of tooth decay but they an also cause a fair amount of discoloration as well. These types of foods are even more damaging in fact, since eating them without rinsing your mouth or brushing your teeth afterwards could cause an unhealthy buildup of acid producing bacteria that could cause a lot of damage to the enamel of the teeth as well as discoloring it.

Smoking

Not only is smoking bad for your health in general, it could also cause a serious case of staining that can be very hard to remove. You are at far greater risk of these and other diseases, so you would be better off quitting entirely.