One of my most popular pieces remains Gummy Vitamins: Less Yabba Dabba Doo, More Yabba Dabba Don’t. As I ask myself why it was more popular than others, I arrive at one conclusion: That piece exposed the fact that an accepted truth is false. Yes, those delicious gummy vitamins that include the adorable Flintstone ones are one of dentists’ worst nightmares.
It’s no wonder that as soon as I realized National Dental Care Month popped up in May that my previous ‘Yabba Dabba’ piece jumped to the forefront of my mind. That ‘Yabba Dabba’ piece connected gummy vitamins to poor dental care but now, let’s connect food and poor dental care.
How does what you eat affect your teeth? Given that permanent teeth only grow once, this is a topic extremely worthy of the spotlight.
Foods That Kill Your Healthy Teeth & Gums Game
Healthline doesn’t throw any punches; they confidently identify The 8 Worst Foods for Your Teeth, and some may surprise you:
- Sour Candies
- Candy is not a surprising member of this list. The word ‘sour’ may be a surprise, though. It turns out that “sour candy contains more and different kinds of acids that are tougher on your teeth.”
- Like gummy vitamins, sour candies are often chewy and stick to your teeth longer, causing tooth decay.
- Bread
- This is a surprise to the list. Who links bread and tooth decay together? As Healthline points out, “when you chew bread, your saliva breaks down the starches into sugar. Now transformed into a gummy paste-like substance, the bread sticks to the crevices between teeth.” Now bread’s position on this list makes sense!
- “… aim for less-refined varieties like whole wheat. These contain less added sugars and aren’t as easily broken down.”
- Alcohol
- No one is surprised to hear alcohol isn’t consumed heavily, if at all, by health gurus. The surprise comes with alcohol’s connection to tooth decay.
- “…did you realize that when you drink, you dry out your mouth? A dry mouth lacks saliva, which we need to keep our teeth healthy. Saliva prevents food from sticking to your teeth and washes away food particles. It even helps repair early signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral infections.”
- Carbonated Drinks
- “A recent study even found that drinking large quantities of carbonated soda could be as damaging to your teeth as using methamphetamine and crack cocaine.”
- How is that previous comment possible, you ask? “Carbonated sodas enable plaque to produce more acid to attack tooth enamel. So if you sip soda all day, you’re essentially coating your teeth in acid.”
- Carbonated drinks dry out your mouth, meaning less saliva.
- Dark-colored sodas can stain your teeth.
- Mind-blowing tip: “Don’t brush your teeth immediately after drinking a soda; this could actually hasten decay.”
- Ice
- Chewing on ice can chip, crack, and break your teeth, as well as loosen crowns. Enough said.
- Citrus
- This is an interesting one. Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons contain a boatload of nutrients and health benefits. “But their acid content can erode enamel, making teeth vulnerable to decay.”
- “But wait,” you say. “Aren’t you supposed to add lemon or lime to your water?” Experts say, “If you want to get a dose of their antioxidants and vitamins, eat and drink them in moderation at mealtime and rinse with water afterward.”
- Potato Chips
- Another surprising pick. Yes, you know they’re not ideal for your waistline, but did you know they negatively affect your teeth? “Unfortunately, they’re loaded with starch, which becomes sugar that can get trapped in and between the teeth and feed the bacteria in the plaque. Since we rarely have just one, the acid production from the chips lingers and lasts awhile.”
- After consuming potato chips, experts advise brushing and flossing.
- Dried Fruits
- More times than not, sticky equals terrible for your teeth. So although dried fruits can have health benefits, “they get stuck and cling in the teeth and their crevices, leaving behind lots of sugar.”
- After consuming dried fruits, experts advise brushing and flossing.
A tip straight in from the dentist’s office is to floss before brushing. Yes, mind-blown! If you floss after you brush, you potentially leave particles you removed while flossing sitting on your teeth. By flossing first and brushing second, you are more likely to clean your teeth as good as possible. Another tip is to make sure the vitamins and minerals conducive to excellent dental health– vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin D, and calcium– are part of your diet.
Healthy Teeth & Gums Are a Daily Effort
You can ensure the vitamins and minerals that promote dental health are part of your daily routine with a supplement like BMD Advanced. BMD Advanced is a powerhouse. Produced by Truehope, the producer of the most-studied micronutrient in the world, EMPowerplus Advanced, BMD Advanced can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and help maintain healthy cartilage, teeth, and gums. It contains all the vitamins and minerals previously mentioned and more. It is a bone mineral developer product making headlines for its quality and results.
By 12-years-old, you typically stop losing teeth. Hopefully, 12 to ‘until you take your last breath’ is a long time, which means you have a long time to care for your teeth too. Take care of your teeth because you will not receive a second chance.
Author: Evelyn Lindell
Certified Health & Wellness Coach