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The impact your diet has on your teeth

Posted by: Dr. Sirakian     Categories: Dentistry, Oral Health


Everyone knows that eating too much sugar can cause tooth decay and cavities. But did you know there are other hidden ways your diet can negatively impact your oral health?

1. Unhealthy Diet & Your Immune System: Your immune system keeps you strong and healthy…but it needs the right fuel to work effectively. If you don’t eat nutritious meals, your immune system weakens and becomes less capable of fighting infections—including those of the gums and mouth. Lingering infections can result in inflamed gums, cavities, and other tooth issues, not to mention a lot of pain. Sound like something you want to avoid? Stick to a balanced diet—and remember that anything you choose to eat ultimately affects your oral health.

2. Not Drinking Enough Water: The bacteria that cause cavities and gum infections thrive when the mouth is dry. A dry mouth also lowers the naturally occurring acid levels in your mouth, which makes it easier for sugars and bacteria to damage your teeth. By drinking water steadily throughout the day, you’ll create a healthier environment in your mouth by increasing moisture and helping to balance acidity.

3. Acidic Foods & Drinks: Acid in everyday food and drink attacks tooth enamel, causing decay, sensitivity, and discoloration. It’s right up there with sugar as something to avoid to protect your teeth. You’ll find high acid levels in citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, vinegar-y foods like pickles, coffee, and wine (the latter two also tend to dehydrate you…see #2!). Sodas are another main offender—including diet. If you consume things from this list, try to drink water alongside them and use a straw with beverages to avoid contact with your teeth. You can also lessen the effect of acidic foods by pairing them with low-acid foods like cheese, eggs, fish, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, oatmeal, and fruits like bananas, apples, and melons.

4. Starchy Foods: When you consume starchy, carbohydrate-rich food like bread, pasta, potatoes, and white rice, you face a double whammy of oral health danger. First, whenever starch comes into contact with the plaque bacteria that coats your teeth, it produces acids which then attack your teeth for up to 20 minutes after you’ve finished eating. Sustained attacks eventually result in decay and damage to teeth, bones and gums. Second, starchy snacks like chips and crackers and the foods mentioned above break down into sticky particles that are more apt to get stuck in your teeth. This gives them more time to transform into acids. To defend against the starch attack, drink water during carb-heavy meals and always brush and floss after them.

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What You Need to Know About Grillz

Dental grills (also known as “grillz”) might draw attention to your teeth and your smile, but they are actually terrible for your teeth. If you have ever seen a music video featuring someone wearing grills, then you are likely looking at dental grills that are made from gold, silver, or another precious metal. While expensive […]

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Xerostomia: What is it, and how do I fix it?

It’s a feeling we’ve all experienced at some point or another: a parched, gritty, can’t-get-water-fast-enough sensation that’s unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is a medical condition that we tend to write off as mere dehydration. While taking a big gulp of water can help in the short-term, if your […]

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Dentistry: Not Just for Humans!

If you have a pet at home, you may have taken them for a dental checkup. That’s right, animals—especially pets and zoo animals—often need dental care. Periodontal disease is one of the biggest reasons animals lose teeth. This is particularly true for pets and zoo animals in captive who decidedly live longer than they would […]

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What Other Surgeries Can an Endodontist Perform?

While endodontists are known as specialists in root canal therapy, they actually specialize in saving teeth by working with the inside of the tooth. Endodontists can do a variety of surgeries to save your natural tooth. One of these surgeries is called an apicoectomy. An apicoectomy is needed when conventional root canal treatment cannot treat […]

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The Impact of Pacifier Use on Your Baby’s Teeth

There are a few benefits as to why pacifiers should be given to babies. Research has shown that pacifiers can actually help reduce incidences of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Babies who suck on pacifiers during sleep don’t fall into as deep a sleep as those who don’t suck on pacifiers. This means that if […]

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