10 Foods that are bad for your teeth

Everyone knows that oral health is extremely important to maintain a healthy smile and gums as well as looking after your gut and cardiovascular health. When it comes to diet, you are what you eat couldn’t be more accurate when talking about teeth.

Here are 10, some surprising foods that are bad for your teeth.

1. Dried Fruits

If you are like me, and a product has fruit in the name I will assume it’s healthy for me to eat - couldn’t be more wrong. Dried fruit tends to be sticky and full of sugar which makes it no better than eating a packet of lollies - your best bet is to stick with some fresh fruit salad

2. Popcorn

Who doesn’t love popcorn lathered in butter? Unfortunately popcorn isn’t a friend of yours when it comes to maintaining oral health. It can get stuck in-between your teeth which is the perfect chance for bacteria to grow.

3. Ice

We all have that weird friend who sits there chewing on ice like it’s the worlds best snack. Unfortunately for them, it increases their chances of a chipped tooth, so might be best to just let it do the job it was intended for and cool down your drink.

4. Tomatoes

But it’s a vegetable (or fruit? I’m still not sure) either way surely they are healthy? Unfortunately tomatoes are high in acid which can erode your enamel causing cavities, tooth decay, sensitivity and discolouration.

5. Soft Drink

No surprises here - I hope. Food high in sugar causes bacteria in your mouth to feed off the sugar creating the perfect cavity cocktail. It’s pretty much impossible to cut out sugar entirely from our diets, so trying to minimise it as much as possible will help!

6. White Bread

Starchy foods and refined carbs can get lodged in your teeth and transform into sugar as soon as they enter your mouth, which we know by now causes cavities.

7. Foods that dry up your mouth

Coffee, alcohol and energy drinks all have the ability to make our mouth dry up. Saliva is your best friend when it comes to protecting your teeth against cavities by washing away plaque and providing your teeth with minerals, so if you are having food or drinks that dry out your mouth you are losing your only defence.

8. Canned Fruit

Canned fruit are generally smothered in sugar combining them with naturally contained acids which is something your teeth probably won’t appreciate having to deal with.

9. Pickles

Pickles are high in acid, more specifically vinegar which has the potential to weaken your enamel.

10. Potato Chips

Another starchy snack we all love, unfortunately one that is easily lodged between our teeth and hard to get rid off. So make sure you brush and floss after eating these tasty treats so you don’t give the bacteria a chance to grow.

Brushing and flossing your teeth after every meal is the best way to continue eating the snacks you love while also maintaining that beautiful white smile you have worked so hard to maintain.