For many, cookies, candy, and other sweets are a guilty pleasure. As good as these treats taste, they can do a lot of damage to your pearly whites by causing tooth decay. Even though sugar is well known for damaging one’s smile, it’s not the only thing that can harm your teeth. Read on to learn about five lesser-known cavity-causing foods and drinks.
#1: Crackers, Pasta, Rice, and Bread
You may not think that foods that are high in carbs and starches like pasta, bread, crackers, and rice can cause cavities, but that unfortunately isn’t true. These foods break down into sugar in the mouth, which means that they can damage your teeth in the same way as sweets.
#2: Dried Fruit
Raisins and other dried fruits are a popular snack alternative for those looking to eat healthier. These dehydrated grapes contain vitamins and nutrients like potassium, copper, calcium, iron, vitamin B6, and boron that energize your body. They also help you maintain strong bones and good joint health. Dried fruit may also improve your body’s ability to heal and your cognitive performance.
Unfortunately, dehydrated fruit has a higher sugar concentration than its fresh alternative. It’s also difficult to wash out of your mouth due to its stickiness. This gives harmful oral bacteria plenty of time to snack on the sugar in these foods and release acids that damage your tooth enamel and make your smile more susceptible to decay.
#3: Diet Soda
For many, switching from regular to diet sodas is a way of lessening their sugar intake. Though these beverages are often advertised as being the healthier alternative, they can still harm your smile. diet sodas are highly acidic. As previously mentioned, acid eats away at your tooth enamel. So, even though they don’t contain sugar, they can still raise your risk of developing cavities.
#4: Fruit Juice
Fruit juice is full of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and other things that are good for your health. Though this may make it seems like a healthy alternative to soda, fruit juice that isn’t made entirely of natural ingredients is usually packed with sugar. In fact, even many products claiming to be made with 100% fruit juice contain as much sugar as a can of soda.
#5: Alcoholic Beverages
Having alcohol every once in a while is unlikely to have lasting effects on your smile, but drinking excessively can lead to complications. Alcohol dries out your mouth, which lets oral bacteria flourish. Paired with its high acidity, this raises your risk of developing cavities. Additionally, if you consume mixed drinks like mimosas or margaritas the added sugar makes you even more likely to experience dental decay.
As you can see, desserts aren’t the only things that can hurt your pearly whites. By knowing more about cavity-causing foods and drinks, you can protect your smile from harm!
About the Practice
Led by Dr. Beverly Rose, Exceptional Dentistry is here to assist patients on their journey towards a healthier smile. Located in Melbourne, they offer services like checkups and cleanings to help you keep your smile healthy. Additionally, they can give you information on cavity-causing foods and drinks so you can lessen your intake of them and prevent decay. If you’re ready to make an appointment with Exceptional Dentistry or want more information on their services, visit their website or call their office at (321) 259-4666 to get started.