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Every time you put food in your mouth, you are either hurting or harming your teeth. This is because what you’re eating can cause plaque buildup or acidic demineralization from bacteria. When you eat, sugars in your food (even non-sugar foods) combine with your mouth bacteria. That bacteria consumes the sugar and expels an acidic substance that we call plaque. Plaque will stick to your teeth and looks like a cruddy, clear film along your gum line. Because that plaque is acidic, it works on your teeth to break up the minerals that keep your teeth strong.
Foods you want to watch out for include:
- Sugary sweets. Basically, the more sugar you eat, the more acidic plaque your mouth makes. Cookies, cakes, candies, and added sugars (in many “health foods”) and more all have sugar.
- Starchy foods. Breads, pastas, cookies, crackers and similar (generally white) foods break down into sugar in your mouth and body.
- Hard/chewy candies. Sucking on hard candies or mints exposes t// nuts, uncooked veggies, hard fruits and non-food items can cause you dental injuries.
What You Can Do/
Avoiding cavities is easy if you follow a few simple steps. Those include:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day—if not more—for two min//utes at a time, as recommended by the American Dental Association. Cover all tooth surfaces, brushing in various directions.
- Floss your teeth afterwards, at least 1-2 times a day. Make sure you get up into the gumline, scraping along the teeth as you go to remove stuck-on plaque.
- Use fluoride toothpaste and products to strengthen your teeth.
- Limit your sugar intake. The less sugar you eat, the less plaque your/ mouth makes and the more you can avoid cavities.
- Get dental sealants (from a dentist) for your teeth, which are plastic painted-on coatings that can seal your tooth from harmful substances.
If you struggle with avoiding the sugary snacks, set a rule for how much you can eat at your get-togethers. Make sure to set sugar limits for your children as well. The American Heart Association recommends that children get no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day if they want to stay healthy. For women, the limit is also 6 teaspoons and for men it’s 9 teaspoons. You can get several days’ worth of sugar in just one can of soda, so be aware of this. Choose sugar-free options or save your sugar calories for your favorite dessert.
