In a few previous articles, I discussed the value of a happy face and its smile. In this three-part series, I will discuss the importance of choosing the correct diet to support your teeth’s health and, therefore, appearance for that smile. In part 1 of this series, I would like to explore these negative foods in greater depth and why they harm your teeth.
First, it is important for all of us seniors to realize that a partnership must exist between good dental hygiene (brushing your teeth after every meal with the use of floss) and good food choices to support this hygiene. This is the only true way to prevent dental cavities.
The foods that usually cause damage to the teeth have a high sugar content. Foods like white sugar, brown sugar, organic sugar, evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, or commercial jams and candies and dried fruits (which are sticky in consistency) are really dangerous for your teeth. In fact, most of the foods that damage our teeth are sticky. They stick to the teeth and provide a medium for cavity activity, which starts within a few hours after food consumption if the teeth are not cleaned properly.
Some microorganisms, like mutant streptococci and lactobacilli bacteria that are present in our saliva, consume these sugar molecules on the teeth’s surface and produce acids as their by-products. These acids then damage the tooth’s enamel (top layer of the tooth) and slowly dissolve the calcium in the tooth to cause decay. For a dental cavity to form, the plaque formed on the tooth’s surface must be present for more than three hours, thus the reason for brushing after eating.
Some double refined food products like white flour and wheat flour are harmful for the teeth. Breads, crackers, cookies, doughnuts, breakfast cereals, muffins, pastries, tortillas, bagels, sandwiches, pretzels, and potato chips should be avoided. Even if these items are bought from a health food store or are organically labeled, they should not be eaten. This is because the more refined the food product is, the more harm it can bring to your teeth.
Junk food from fast food restaurants is not only harmful for our body, but also has an adverse effect on our teeth. It lacks the necessary vitamins and minerals to help strengthen the teeth. It also destroys the tooth structure from its molecular levels, therefore creating conditions for problem areas to form in the mouth. If starchy foods linger in your mouth, the acid bath is prolonged, and the potential for damage is all the greater. If you must chew on these foods, drink a glass of water or chew on a piece of sugarless gum to help rid your mouth of debris.
I asked my dentist if he ever had to remove food particles from a patient’s teeth because they were stuck there.
“Yes, we sometimes see popcorn kernels stuck in the teeth, as well as poppy and tomato seeds even,” he said. “Sometimes bad brushing habits do not remove these food parts.”
In fact, my dentist reminded me that what you eat can do harm to the roof of your mouth, as well.
“Chips can scratch the top of your mouth. We see mouth burns from super hot foods, such as soups, and often from pizzas too,” he said.
As we age, the tooth’s nerves and bone recede into the gum, allowing the tooth to become more brittle and susceptible to cracking.
“Eating granola, nuts, especially almonds, and hard candies can do a lot of damage to the weakened tooth,” my dentist said.
As you grow older, one of the changes you may notice in your teeth is that it becomes harder for you to keep them clean and white. This is because the sticky, colorless layer of bacteria, referred to again as plaque, can build up faster and in greater amounts as we age.
Changes in dentin, the bone-like tissue that is under your tooth’s enamel, may also cause your teeth to appear slightly darker. Coffee, soft drinks (which are also harmful because of their sugar and acidic content), and juices with artificial flavors and coloring agents can further cause tooth discoloration. In order to achieve a beautiful smile, you need to avoid beverages like most tea and coffee and carbonated drinks. Besides causing unwanted tooth discoloration, these artificial ingredients influence the enamel structure by weakening the enamel surface and making teeth more susceptible to dental cavities. Drinking excessive alcohol and smoking can lead to even more discoloration and decay.
