Do you eat a lot of acidic foods, such as tomato sauce, citrus fruits, and pickles? If so, you should know that eating too many foods like this may damage your teeth. Foods that contain high levels of acids are not always bad foods, in terms of what is healthy to eat, but the acids can cause significant damage to your teeth. Here are a few things you should understand about acidic foods and the effects they have on your teeth.
What effects do acid foods have on your teeth?
Acid is an enemy of your teeth, and this is because acid can eat away at the enamel on your teeth. The enamel is there primarily to protect your teeth. When it is gone, your teeth will be prone to numerous problems, and abrasion is the result of eating foods that are acidic. Each time you eat a food that is highly acidic, you are exposing your teeth to the potential for tooth abrasion.
Over time, this will cause you to develop sensitivity with your teeth. When this happens, your teeth may be painful when eating hot or cold foods. In addition, your teeth will be more vulnerable for developing cavities, because they will not be protected well with enamel. This can also lead to gum disease and many other problems.
What types of foods are considered highly acidic?
There are many different common food items that are highly acidic. Here are some of the most common food that have high levels of acids in them:
These are just some of the food items that contain high levels of acids, but there are a lot of other foods and beverages too that you may want to cut out of your diet.
What you can do to reduce the negative effects of these foods?
If you cannot cut all these foods out of your diet, that is okay, but you may want to take some extra steps to reduce the negative effects they can have. One way to do this is by eating foods that help balance out the acids. This can include eating cheese, nuts, and brown rice. Another good idea is to rinse your mouth out with water after eating foods that contain high levels of acid.
If you would like to find out how healthy your teeth are, you should visit a dentist. A dentist can perform an examination of your teeth and can give you tips to help them stay healthier.
Share1 March 2017
Halloween is a holiday that my children love, and telling them they can't go door-to-door collecting candy would break their hearts. This led me to allowing them to collect candy on the holiday, then rationing it out to them every day instead of letting them gobble it up in just a few days. I always thought this was better for them, but my dentist told me this could be the reason why their February dental check-ups were always their worst ones. Daily candy consumption was taking a toll on their teeth. I started a new tradition of letting them indulge for two days, then giving them the option to swap the rest with me in exchange for a new toy. They never pass on the opportunity for a new toy. I created this blog to encourage other parents find similar tactics to keep their children's teeth healthy after Halloween.