ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — According to the CDC, one-quarter of U.S. adults age 20-64 have at least one untreated cavity and nearly half of U.S. adults have gum disease. Your diet is crucial to your teeth’s health but there are certain foods that can hurt your teeth.
Oral diseases affect nearly 3.7 billion people and foods play a major role. First, be aware of the pH levels of the food.
“Anything below seven is gonna be more acidic, which can be harmful,” said David Sutton, DMD, dentist at Dapper Dental.
For example, citrus fruits are very acidic and can erode tooth enamel…
“And slowly cause them to either wear down, or show just signs of flattening, which can be at risk for A, sensitivity, or B, just teeth getting really thin to where they can be more prone to fracture, more prone to decay,” explained Dr. Sutton.
Even starchy foods like crackers, chips and cookies can be an issue.
“They can settle in the pits of the back teeth and they’re really hard to clean away,” Dr. Sutton told Ivanhoe.
Up to 90% of the population likes to chew ice, but according to the American Dental Association — it’s really bad to do so.
“Even though enamel is harder than bone, it still has a susceptibility to crack and break. Ice is, I would say, one of the number one factors as far as teeth fracture,” said Dr. Sutton.
And an NIH study saw that 75% of adults had at least one crack in their teeth. So, what can you do? First, get an electronic toothbrush.
“Those things have way more cleansing capability than we do on our own,” stated Dr. Sutton.
Second, Dr. Sutton says to remember to floss before you brush, not after. And finally, many dentists recommend not rinsing at all.
Another tip: Americans eat approximately 15 billion quarts of popcorn every single year! But it also contains lactic acids and unpopped kernels which can crack your teeth.
Contributors to this news report include: Cliff Tumetel, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Videographer & Editor.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/health/dental/dental-facts-statistics/#footnote_1
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health
https://www.bendelfamilydentistry.com/blog/1264885-why-dentists-say-you-should-never-chew-ice
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/chewing-ice-may-damage-teeth-155228699.html
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9562569/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/04/12/fluoride-toothpaste-rinsing/
https://www.centraldentalnorwood.com/blog/2021/04/22/popcorn-and-oral-health/
* For More Information, Contact: David Sutton, DMD
Dentist at Dapper Dental
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