We all know how important it is to have a healthy mouth and teeth \u2013 if you\u2019ve ever experienced dental pain and discomfort, the chances are you probably don\u2019t want to repeat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your chances of a healthy mouth are vastly improved by maintaining regular dental hygiene habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they\u2019re only half the story \u2013 what you eat and drink is incredibly important too, and we quite often see people who are great at brushing and flossing, but don\u2019t have the healthy mouth they want, all because of what goes in it; an oral own goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that in mind, I thought I\u2019d run through some of the worst culprits, so you\u2019ve got all the information you need to keep your mouth as healthy as possible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sugary Sweets and Chocolates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No surprise here \u2013 sugar is a problem, because it interacts with bacteria in your mouth and creates acid that eats away at your enamel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hard sweets are even worst, because they coat your teeth in sugar AND can cause chips and cracks, while sticky sweets like toffees cling to your teeth, so they\u2019re constantly exposed to the corrosive power of sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fizzy Drinks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fizzy drinks are often full of sugar and are high acidic. We\u2019ve covered the problem with sugar above, but the acid plays its part too, wearing down enamel and making you more susceptible to cavities. Even sugar-free drinks can have high acid content, so I\u2019d recommend using a straw and rinsing your mouth with water after if you are going to indulge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Citrus fruits and juices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, fruit does have plenty of vitamins in it, but citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruits also have plenty of acid in. Citrus juices make matters worse because they often also contain added sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coffee and tea<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your daily dose of caffeine might get your through the day, but both tea and coffee can stain your teeth over time. They also both contain acid, which can wear down your enamel, and don\u2019t get me started on adding sugar to them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, if you are drinking coffee and tea, try adding a glass of water alongside it, and maybe using a straw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dried fruits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dried fruits like raisins and apricots may seem healthy, but they often contain concentrated sugars and are sticky, which means they can stick to your teeth and promote decay. Fresh fruits are a better option because they contain more water and are less likely to stick to your teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crisps and starchy snacks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Starchy snacks like crisps, bread, and pasta can be just as damaging as sugary treats because they break down into simple sugars when you chew them \u2013 these can get stuck in your teeth and feed harmful bacteria. Flavoured crisps are often worse as they usually contain sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol can harm your teeth in several ways \u2013 many drinks are acidic, while alcohol can also dry your mouth out and reduce saliva production, which can increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Spirits with mixers and alcopops can be the worst offenders because they also contain lots of sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are going to indulge, drinking plenty of water is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all got that one friend (or maybe it\u2019s us!) that just loves chewing ice. It might seem harmless, but it can seriously damage your teeth \u2013 it can cause chips and cracks, and lead to increased sensitivity and other dental issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right, that\u2019s enough of the doom and gloom \u2013 at least you know where you are now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next week I\u2019ll come back with the positive spin: what you can consume that will help, not hinder your oral hygiene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ketan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We all know how important it is to have a healthy mouth and teeth \u2013 if you\u2019ve ever experienced dental pain and discomfort, the chances are you probably don\u2019t want to repeat it. Your chances of a healthy mouth are vastly improved by maintaining regular dental hygiene habits. But they\u2019re only half the story \u2013 … Continue reading Are you scoring oral own goals?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}