Ten ‘Healthy’ Foods To Moderate If You Want To Help Keep Your Teeth Strong And Healthy

Tooth friendly dietary advice from your Wickford dental team.

As people are gradually becoming more aware of the food that they eat, we are likely to start eliminating unhealthier ones and replacing them with those that are considered to be beneficial. This is generally good news for our teeth, but even some healthy foods can be problematic for our oral health.

In today’s Cygnet Dental Practice blog, we are going to take a look at some common foods that people buy for their health benefits, or as healthier options for ‘treats’. While we are not saying that you should avoid these altogether, it is useful to know their potential pitfalls so that you can make an informed decision about just how much to consume.

Without further ado then, here are our ‘top ten’ of ‘healthy foods’ that could still potentially damage your teeth.

Dried fruits

For many people, these offer healthy snack alternatives to sugary sweets and similar treats. While they certainly do this, they are also high in sugar. Although this is in the natural form of fructose. It can still contribute to tooth decay. In addition to this, dried fruit is notorious for sticking to your teeth. This is one reason why dentists caution against parents feeding too many of these, such as raisins, to their young children.

Citrus fruits

Again, these offer nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals, as well as providing fibre, all essential for good health. While they contain sugar, they are also acidic. As regular readers of our blogs will know, too much acidity can damage the tooth enamel. This means that both tooth decay and sensitive teeth are likely to become an issue.

Popcorn

While popcorn can be unhealthy due to the syrups that are often added to it and which are high in sugar, it is also notorious for getting trapped between the teeth. The starch in popcorn will convert to sugars if not removed and, as we know, this is likely to cause problems with tooth decay.

Tomatoes

Like many foods, tomatoes are fine in moderation. Being a versatile vegetable; sorry .. fruit, these are used not just on their own in salads but as a significant ingredient in many sauces. While being tasty and containing vitamins C and K, they are also acidic and eating too many may contribute to enamel erosion.

Pickles

Before fridges were invented, pickling was a popular way to preserve many things. It seems that we not only grew accustomed to the taste but developed a liking for it too. Like fruits though, the vinegar used is very acidic and again, tooth enamel can become damaged if consumed too often.

Corn on the cob

Similar to popcorn, the likelihood of some corn getting stuck between the teeth is very high if you eat it directly from the cob. While this might seem to be a natural healthy food, small strands of the corn can be very difficult to remove. Even if you don’t use floss regularly, and we believe that you should, we strongly recommend that you do so if you have been eating this!

Smoothies

It could be argued that a smoothie is just a drink, but it does contain the pulp of fruit which can become trapped in the teeth. Commercial bought smoothies may also contain sugars, so again, not one to necessarily avoid altogether, but perhaps cut down a little.

Peanut butter

The ‘lifesaver’ for many vegetarians and vegans when it comes to a sandwich filler.  This is another sticky food that can get trapped and remain attached to your teeth for a longish period of time. Most people will also buy this from a supermarket and you may need to check the labels to ensure that no sugars have been added as this is quite possible with some commercial brands.

Beetroot

This often comes in vinegar which we have discussed earlier. The dark colour of beetroot that notoriously stains our fingers is also likely to discolour your teeth if you eat this regularly. If your teeth have been stained in this way or any other for that matter, ask us about our teeth whitening treatments to restore the colour of your teeth.

Muesli

Finally, muesli, the ‘ultimate health food’, except that many or even most shop bought muesli will have added sugars. One other issue which can also arise with stoneground wholemeal bread, is that small fragments of stone may find their way into it and may result in a chipped or broken tooth if you bite down hard on it.

Whether you live on a healthy or unhealthy diet, your teeth and gums are at risk if you don’t have their health monitored by a dentist on a regular basis. If you live in the Wickford area and would like to make an appointment at the Cygnet Dental Practice, you can do so by calling us today on 01268 733078.