8 Foods That Are Severely Bad For Your Oral Hygiene

8 Foods That Are Severely Bad For Your Oral Hygiene

Have you ever felt an excruciating toothache in the middle of the night?

Well, most of us have, and if you have not experienced such a thing, then bravo! You are doing good with your oral health. 

Sometimes, we tend to neglect mild tooth pain. But, in no time it worsens, and the pain doesn’t go away. In such a situation, at-home care is not the right thing to do. The persistent tooth pain may indicate an infection in your tooth or gum, which requires immediate medical attention. The sooner you address a dental emergency (which we delay, thinking that the pain would subside), the better it is for your overall health.

In this write-up, we will discuss the common signs of the dental plight and bring to your notice some foods that can make your visit to the dentist more than regular. These 8 foods are severely bad for your oral hygiene.

When Should You Go For Emergency Dental Services?

Sometimes we tend to ignore the basic oral hygiene guidelines. While your teeth may seem to perform well, maintaining oral health must be a regular practice. 

Reason? 

You never know, when a dental emergency pops up!

Here we list some signs of emergency dental care:

• Experiencing a loose or wiggly tooth
• Severe toothache
• Bleeding gums 
• Swollen jaw
• You have got a dental abscess
• The canker sore in your mouth is not getting better
• A painful toothache just went numb
• The old metal filling in the tooth has cracked or loosened

Tooth pain, bleeding, or aching gums are very common dental problems, but you must not overlook them. It can be a sign of a major underlying issue. Even if you have taken an over-the-counter pain medicine, and got a bit of relief, you should still visit the dentist without delay. Northern Beaches dental clinics provide regular check-ups as well as custom made oral hygiene plans. These clinics are powered with modern equipment like digital scanners, intra-oral cameras, and digital x-rays. They also ensure proper sterilization of all instruments.

Be Careful While Enjoying These Foods

Orange 

Orange is tasty whether you have it as a juice or fruit. It is loaded with vitamin C. However; the acid content is high in orange, which can erode the enamel of your teeth, making it susceptible to decay over time. Moreover, acid from citrus fruit can be troublesome for mouth sores. 

Ice

Chewing ice, adding ice in drinks, or sucking on ice cubes to feel refreshed is not a good idea at all. In fact, persistent ice cravings may need medical attention. Coming to oral care, chewing ice which is a hard substance damages enamel. It causes loosened crowns and cracks or chips in the teeth. This leads to oral pain, and you may need root canal therapy. Moreover, eating ice impacts tooth sensitivity and also causes gum infection. So, use ice to chill beverages and not chew it. 

Potato Chips

Potato Chips are everyone’s favourite. 

We enjoy the chips crunching inside our mouth!

But potato chips are full of starch which turns into sugar when we intake it. The sugar gets trapped in and between the teeth and feeds the bacteria in the plaque. So, you must brush or floss your teeth after having chips; else the plaque will harden and turn into tartar. Tartar above the gums is dangerous as it can lead to forming a gum disease, called Gingivitis. The paper-thin type of potato chips can sometimes cut the sensitive tissue on the gums and palates inside our mouth. 

Alcohol

Consumption of alcohol is not healthy. 

We know that! But how does alcohol pose a threat to oral hygiene?

People often don’t realize that drinking alcohol dries out the mouth. A dry mouth has a reduced flow of saliva. This results in tooth decay and gum disease as saliva keeps our teeth healthy. It washes away the food particles, thus avoiding food from sticking to the mouth. Moreover, heavy intake of alcohol can be the cause of mouth cancer.

Sweet Candy

Although sweet candies are attractive, given their bright colours, they are actually detrimental to oral health. 

The reason is quite simple – it is sugar!

By eating too many of these sweet candies, you expose your teeth constantly to sugar. The mouth bacteria feed on the sugar forming acids that erode the tooth enamel. The acids give rise to cavities. If you leave a cavity untreated, it may result in gum diseases. So, take no chance and get emergency dentist Services.

Soda

Drinking soda can have adverse effects on your teeth. The drink contains sugar which interacts with the bacteria in the mouth to form acid. The acid is harmful to tooth enamel. Both regular and sugar-free soda have acid. The acid erodes the enamel. Furthermore, soda dries out the mouth, and dark-coloured sodas can even stain your teeth.

Sugary Beverages

Sugary sweetened beverages are not healthy for our dental health. The sugar from such beverages is consumed by the bacteria inside the mouth to produce acid. The acid is the cause of tooth erosion and cavities. So, have such beverages in moderation. 

Sticky Dried Fruits

Dried fruits are healthy. Yes, that’s true. But some dried fruits like apricots, raisins, prunes, and figs are quite sticky. They tend to cling to the teeth, which increases the risk of a tooth cavity. Make sure to rinse your mouth with water and brush and floss thoroughly.

Wrapping Up

Caring for your teeth and gums must be a part of your daily routine. Brush, floss, rinse and eat right. And, don’t delay visiting a dentist, if you feel any discomfort with biting or chewing. 

Featured photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash