Ice Is Not for Chewing (Avoid It)
Ice munching is not a pastime that is only associated with kids, and can equally become addictive to those that indulge in it. However, it may not appear like a dangerous addiction at the surface but studies have shown that it can lead to serious negative dental outcome with adverse effects such as damage to your tooth enamel, chipped or cracked teeth, sore jaw muscles as well as worsening existing dental problems like fillings and crowns. Those that appear to have cravings for ice chewing could range from anemic individuals to those that just smoking, boredom, as a relief for dry mouth, stress relief or as a way of reducing food consumption for weight loss purposes. Whatever be the reason for chewing on ice, the long term adverse effect far outweighs any momentary respite it may give to you. You have been warned, stay away from it!
Candies and Sweets
Candies and Sweets are often desirable due to their pleasant taste but they contain high levels of sugar which is quite harmful to your dental well-being. Although, it is important to clarify that sugar does not actually cause cavities on its own, instead it creates the enabling environment for it to thrive in your mouth. The human mouth is home to hundreds of bacteria, though for most of them, their duty is meant to be beneficial in helping to maintain your dental balance but when you consume sugary candies and sweets, they will attract harmful bacteria to feed on the sugar. Such activity will lead to creation of acids that will end up eroding your tooth enamel. Cavities will develop as a result and holes could form from it thereby damaging your dentition.
To avoid damage from candies and sweets, you will need to drink sufficient amounts of water and also rinse your mouth with water after consuming candies, or better still brush your teeth afterwards.
Carbonated Soft Drinks
It has been proven that drinking carbonated soft drinks can lead to health hazards such as type 2 diabetes, weight gain and obesity but beyond these serious health issues, carbonated soft drinks can have considerable negative effects on your dental health similar to those listed in 2 above.
Crunching Snacks May Be Harmful
Studies have shown that most people find crunchy snacks desirable for various reasons such as the sound it makes and also the fact that people associate crunchy sound with freshness. These factors are responsible for why people tend to eat excessive amounts of crunchy snacks. Likewise, the huge intake of such crunchy snacks could lead to a spike in your calorie intake with its accompanying health risks as well as dental problems such as sore jaw muscles and chipped teeth.
Dairy Products
Milk and other dairy products are largely seen as nutritious and beneficial to the dental health of individuals. Milk helps to reduce the negative effects of enzymes and other acids that could damage your teeth as well as helping to put back minerals into your teeth. However, milk intake has also been associated with the negative effects of dental caries in children.
Alcohol and Smoking
Alcohol and smoking are two notorious culprits that have long been associated with several health hazards. While any amount of alcohol that goes into your mouth can potentially have damaging effect, chronic alcoholism particularly increases your risk of suffering periodontal diseases such as mouth sores, tooth decay and tooth loss. It can equally cause teeth discoloration.
It is important to note that same way alcohol-based cleansers can dry-out your skin is how it can equally dry-out your mouth, thereby allowing bacteria to stand alone without the moderating effect of saliva to keep them in check.
On the hand, it is no longer news that smoking can have serious adverse effects on your heart and lungs but studies have also proven that tobacco is the primary cause of mouth cancers. Data has shown that smokers are up to six times more liable to oral cancer than those who don’t smoke. Similarly, weakens the immune system thereby giving room to bacteria in the mouth to be more active. Smoking can also lead to dull smile and bad breaths as well as tartar build up. Although you can effectively remove tartar from your teeth if you take proper care of your teeth’s and avoid smoking.
Citrus
Citrus no doubt can be nutritious and sweet tasting but they can have negative consequences on your oral health. They can cause acidic effects on your tooth enamel. Worse still, carbonated soft drinks like sports drinks and soda can cause more damage regardless of its sugar content of flavor. Therefore, they should be taken sparingly.
