Certain eating, lifestyle, and dental care habits can cause your teeth to become stained, yellowed, or even decayed. Teeth play a vital role in chewing and breaking down food, so improper care can easily lead to issues like cavities, gum inflammation, gum disease, or bad breath. Below are some common mistakes people make with their oral health and how to avoid them for stronger, healthier teeth.
Eating Too Much Cold Food
In hot weather, many people turn to cold treats like ice cream, chilled water, shaved ice, or refrigerated fruit. While refreshing, these can make your teeth sensitive and damage the enamel—the protective outer layer of your teeth.
For those who often eat cold things, especially ice that might not be clean, there’s a higher chance of bacteria sneaking in. This bacteria can attack your enamel, making your teeth more sensitive and prone to discomfort. Plus, the cold temperature and hardness of ice can crack, chip, loosen, or even break your teeth.
Eating Lots of Sugary Foods and Drinks
Sugar and sugary foods are major culprits behind poor dental health. Snacks like cakes, milk tea, sodas, hard candies, gummy candies, chocolate, popcorn, and ice cream are loaded with sugar.
When you eat a lot of sweets, bacteria in your mouth thrive, producing acid and forming plaque on your teeth. Over time, this acid wears away the minerals in your enamel. If you don’t clean your teeth regularly, this can lead to cavities.
Sodas and carbonated drinks aren’t just bad for your weight—they’re tough on your teeth too. The high sugar content creates a perfect environment for bacteria to release acids that erode enamel, creating tiny holes in your teeth and causing decay.
Drinking Colored Beverages
Tea, coffee, sodas, and energy drinks are popular choices for many. However, these colored drinks contain lots of sugar and acid, which can wear down enamel. Once the enamel is gone, your teeth weaken and become more vulnerable. A clear downside of drinking too many sugary beverages is cavities.
On top of that, these drinks have substances that quickly stain your teeth, turning them yellow or discolored.
Loving Sour Foods and Fruits
Besides sugary foods, sour foods can also harm your teeth.
Sour foods and fruits have high acid levels that can damage enamel. This acid eats away at the enamel, stripping away its ability to protect the inner parts of your teeth.
Acidic foods are all around us and can be great for your overall health—but not always for your teeth if you overdo it. Some familiar acidic foods include sour oranges, starfruit, lemons, tomatoes, and pineapples.
It’s not a good idea to cut these out of your diet completely, but to protect your enamel, try to limit them or pair them with other foods to lessen their impact on your teeth.
Snacking All the Time
Some people think avoiding sweets means their teeth are safe, but constant snacking can still cause trouble. Snack foods like chips, pastries, or sweets often have sugar and starch that stick to your teeth, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. This can lead to gum inflammation, receding gums, cavities, and enamel wear.
Even snacks like fries, pasta, bread, or pizza can be harmful if you don’t clean your teeth afterward. To keep your mouth healthy, cut back on snacking and brush or rinse your mouth after eating to remove leftover food and plaque from between your teeth and gums.
By avoiding these habits and taking better care of your teeth, you can keep your smile strong and bright!