Protect Your Teeth From These Substances
Hello, and welcome back to our blog! Here at Bitterroot Dental in Missoula we are dedicated to providing the best dental services that we can in order to help all of our neighbors maintain good oral hygiene. In our last post, we touched upon some of the foods and beverages that are bad for people’s teeth and, in today’s post, we are going to expand further upon this topic. While it is nearly impossible to avoid all food and beverages that are bad for our teeth, we feel that it is important that people at least have a general knowledge of which substances are bad for them and what they can do to limit the effects that these substances have on their teeth. A little bit of prevention can go a long way and, when it comes to your teeth, making sure they are as healthy as possible is always in your best interest. Now, continue reading below to learn about some more food and beverages that you should be aware of in relation to the health of your teeth.
Your Teeth are not Indestructible
While it might seem like your teeth can handle a lot of abuse, if you don’t treat them right they can and will develop issues. Our teeth are much more sensitive than most people realize and, unfortunately, once a tooth has become compromised there is little that can be done to save it. Limiting the amount of harmful food and drinks that you ingest every day is a great way to make sure that your teeth are as healthy as possible and, below, we have listed a few more substances that you should be aware of.
- Coffee: Around the globe, coffee is consumed daily by billions of people. While coffee in and of itself is not necessarily bad for your teeth (barring the fact that it causes staining), a large majority of people tend to load their morning cup of joe with a ton of sugar to counteract the bitter taste. As we all know, sugar is bad for teeth and helps to promote the growth of harmful bacteria. If you cannot stomach the thought of coffee without sugar, we suggest that you at least drink plenty of water after finishing your morning cup in order to wash away as much of the sugar as possible.
- Sticky Foods: Sticky foods are one of the worst things for your teeth. Even “healthy” sticky foods such as dried fruit can be detrimental to your teeth because these sticky substances tend to work their way into the spaces between the teeth. When these foods get stuck, the become an instant buffet for the bacteria in your mouth which, in turn, leads to the development of plaque and, eventually, tartar. If you’re a connoisseur of sticky foods, your best bet is to try and floss after eating or, at the very least, have some toothpicks ready. This will limit the amount of food stuck between your teeth and reduce the chances of developing tooth decay.
We hope that this short blog series has helped to provide you with a little more information on the foods and beverages that you should avoid in order to make sure that your teeth are as healthy as possible. If you are worried that your teeth might already be suffering from issues related to your diet, please contact us today to schedule an appointment with our dentist. At Bitterroot Dental, we are passionate about providing Missoula patients with the best dental care possible and we will work with you to come up with a solution for any issues that you may be having with your teeth.
