Several factors, like poor dental hygiene, drying foods, starchy foods, sticky foods, sugary foods, and toxic bacteria, cause tooth cavities. People know that sugary foods increase the danger of oral problems but are unaware of the specific cavity-causing foods. Dental cavities lead to severe oral issues, including tooth loss and an unattractive smile. Therefore, if you want to avoid cavities and decay, you should steer off or limit the following foods.
Sticky Foods
Your mouth has many bacteria. Typically, the bacteria does not cause harm in a healthy mouth. Nevertheless, the germs thrive when sugary particles or debris are trapped between the teeth or stick to them. The bacteria become hazardous, producing acids that eat away the enamel, leading to cavities and decay.
Sticky foods harm your teeth because they contain high sugar levels. Sugar harms the teeth, but sticky foods double the threat as they cling or stick to the teeth and require more chewing, increasing the duration of contact between the sugar and the enamel. Therefore, when you eat sticky foods, your teeth experience prolonged contact with harmful and acidic bacteria, exposing your teeth to cavities.
One typical sticky food that is known to cause cavities is dried fruit. Fruits are healthy substitutes for candies and sweets. However, like figs and apricots, they are sticky and have high sugar concentrations when dried. These characteristics mean the food triggers cavity-causing bacteria, increasing acidic production and demineralization, leading to cavities.
Dentists recommend brushing and flossing your teeth every time you consume sticky foods to remove sugar residues in the mouth and the sticky food debris. Also, you should take dried fruits and other sticky foods in moderation to lower the possibility of growing cavities. Ensure that you wait for at least half an hour before brushing because the high sugar concentration and acidic secretion at the time could cause more harm to the enamel when you brush immediately.
Also, if you must eat dried fruits, avoid unsweetened ones to avoid the sugar that increases cavity risk.
Apart from dried fruits, other sticky foods that lead to cavities include caramels, taffy, and gummy candies. These, too, have high sugar concentrations, fueling hazardous bacteria that produce waste that causes plaque and calculus that wears off the enamel over time.
Treatments for tooth cavities are available, but you are encouraged to invest more in preventing the oral problem through good oral hygiene, biannual visits to the dentist, and elimination or reduction of sticky foods in your diet.
Sugary Foods
Excessive consumption of sugary foods adversely affects your health and overall well-being. In your regular visits to the dentist, you have heard them warn of excessive sugary foods as they negatively impact your teeth and gum tissue.
Your mouth contains good and harmful or hazardous bacteria because everything you consume goes through the mouth and has contact with the teeth and soft tissue. Surveys show that when the sugar from these foods interacts with the hazardous bacteria, the sugars are broken down to produce toxic acids that erode the enamel or cause demineralization.
Saliva is critical in the mouth because it neutralizes the acid and shields the teeth and soft tissue from harm. Nonetheless, when you excessively consume sugary foods, the acid produced by toxic bacteria increases, making it difficult for the saliva in your mouth to shield it. Your teeth are left exposed and in contact with the acid for a long time, causing the enamel to lose essential minerals. With time, the enamel wears out, leading to cavities.
Sugar Changes Mouth Acidity
The two toxic bacteria in your oral cavity are Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. These two bacteria thrive in a sugary setting, producing waste in the form of plaque. Continued plaque buildup leads to the formation of calculus, a sticky layer on the teeth that cannot be removed through regular brushing. Plaque and calculus are breeding grounds for toxic bacteria that produce excessive acids, eroding the enamel.
Sugar Fuels Harmful Bacteria Production
Additionally, sugars fuel the breeding of harmful bacteria that cause gingivitis or periodontitis. Gum disease results in the soft tissue receding and exposing the tooth root. In the early stages, gum disease is called gingivitis, characterized by gum inflammation. However, when the condition advances to periodontitis, it exposes the tooth root due to receding gums, eventually leading to tooth loss.
Solid Sugar Effects
Many natural foods, some of which you could not have guessed, contain high sugar concentrations. These include vegetables, honey, and fruits. Processed foods like cakes also contain sugar at high levels. Nevertheless, the foods with harmful sugars are those processed with white or solid sugars like the cakes because when you eat them, they leave a sticky layer on your teeth that the saliva cannot wash away. The only way to remove the sugars is by bruising and using mouthwash.
It is not a must that you avoid these foods to reduce the danger of cavities. Reducing consumption and brushing after eating them is a solution, as it reduces the exposure of the teeth to the sugar, lowering the risk of cavities.
Acidic Foods
Fruits and acidic beverages can be as harmful to your teeth as sugar. Many people, you included, love fruits because they contain vitamin C and are juicy. However, you need to realize that fruits and fruit juices contain high acid concentrations, and excessive consumption without proper aftercare increases the risk of cavities.
Acid demineralizes the enamel, causing tooth sensitivity and tooth surface erosion. Erosion of the minerals that strengthen the enamel allows harmful bacteria to enter the teeth, causing tooth cavities and decay. Symptoms that indicate your enamel is being eroded include:
- Pain and tooth sensitivity when consuming hot or cold substances
- Tooth discoloration or turning yellowish because of exposure of the dentin
- Alteration of teeth fillings
- Increased cavity cases
- Growth of dental abscess
- Tooth loss if the condition advances
Erosion of the enamel by acidic foods is irreversible, and you will need procedures like dental fillings, tooth removal, dental crowns, and root canals to restore the teeth. The treatments are expensive, so you should invest more in enamel erosion prevention. The right way to do this is not to avoid fruits or fruit juices because they have nutritional benefits. Instead, you should regulate their intake and learn how to minimize the effects of the acid.
The PH scale runs from 0 to 14. The pH of acidic substances ranges from 0 to 7, while that of alkaline substances is 7 to 14. When not eating or drinking, the acidity of your oral cavity should range from 6.5 to 7.5, as this is the pH of your saliva. At this range, your teeth are not at risk of erosion due to acidity.
However, when you consume acidic drinks or foods, the acidity in the oral cavity increases, leading to sensitivity, tooth discoloration, and, in some cases, decay. To maintain the standard saliva pH and avoid erosion of your tooth surface, limit the intake of these acidic beverages:
- Wine
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Tonic water
- Pickles vinegar
- Carbonated drinks
Acidic foods you should steer clear of are tomatoes and citrus fruits. Also, eating pickles is discouraged not only to prevent enamel erosion but also to prevent tooth discoloration. Do not entirely avoid them because they contain vitamin K, which helps strengthen the bones. However, the intake should be regulated, or the necessary precautions should be taken after taking them.
Apart from regulating consumption, you can combine these acidic substances with low-pH foods like:
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Bananas
- Fish
- Oatmeal
- Whole grains
- Cheese
Brushing your teeth thirty minutes after eating an acidic substance also helps lower the pH. Wait to brush because doing so immediately will weaken the enamel further. The acids have already damaged the enamel. So, instead of brushing right away, you must drink more water to stimulate the salivary glands to produce more saliva to help bring the pH levels to normal.
Additional tips for minimizing the adverse effects of the acid include:
- Using straws to reduce the contact between the acid and teeth
- Consuming the acidic substances during full meals to neutralize the acid in the oral cavity
- Pairing acidic foods with water
- Maintain proper oral hygiene
Starchy Foods
Consuming starchy food is as bad for your teeth as sugary foods. Starchy foods include potato crisps, chips, and bread. The only difference between starchy foods and candies is that you will know the amount of sugar you are consuming with candies. Potato chips are not sweet, so many consumers believe the food has no sugar. Nevertheless, they are as harmful to the teeth as candy.
Potato crisps and bread are carbohydrates. When you consume them, they are starch. However, after you break them down by chewing, the starch in these foods is converted into sugar. Some are converted while chewing, and others later during the digestion process. When starch is converted into sugar in the mouth, some residues remain in the teeth until you brush your teeth. Before then, the sugar fuels the production of toxic bacteria that produce acids that eat away the enamel, leading to cavities.
The hazardous acid erodes the enamel, demineralizing or weakening it and increasing the threat of cavities. The process does not happen immediately after chewing carbs. The process begins when residual sugar comes into contact with the teeth for an extended period. The sugar then draws toxic bacteria, which secrete the acid that erodes the enamel.
Do not entirely avoid starchy foods or carbohydrates. Instead, be aware of the harm they can cause in the mouth and take steps to prevent cavities. Pair water with your carbs to wash away the residual sugars after chewing. Additionally, proper hygiene must be maintained by brushing after meals to remove the bacteria that could have otherwise produced harmful acid.
Drying Foods
Excessive consumption of foods rich in sodium increases the threat of heart conditions, strokes, and hypertension. Unfortunately, this is not the only negative effect of sodium. It weakens and irritates the tooth surface, just like sugar.
Salt is rich in sodium; when you consume it alone, it does not adversely affect your teeth. However, when you pair it with carbohydrates, the effects are grave because, mainly if the carbs are processed.
Carbohydrates are converted into sugar when you chew them, leaving residual sugar in the mouth. The harmful bacteria feed on the sugar and secrete acids that increase the saliva’s pH, eroding the enamel. The damage increases when the contact between the sugar and teeth is prolonged.
Minerals like calcium strengthen the tooth enamel, while others like sodium weaken it. When you consume foods with high sodium concentrations, the mineral increases the secretion of calcium through urination. With increased calcium loss, which strengthens the enamel, the enamel becomes weak over time, leading to cavities.
Drying beverages like wine also weakens the enamel by suppressing antidiuretic hormone production. The hormone regulates urination. When you urinate more, calcium loss increases, creating a deficiency that weakens the enamel.
Alcohol weakens teeth by causing dehydration. When the body is dehydrated, there is low saliva production, increasing mouth pH. It is the reason many heavy drinkers complain of dry mouth. With increased acidity, the tooth enamel is eroded, causing cavities. Other conditions associated with dry drinks include periodontitis because of plaque accumulation in the mouth, which is caused by the lack of saliva to wash away all food debris and residual sugars.
Cavity-Preventing Foods
By now, you know the foods you should avoid or limit to avoid cavities. However, the question remains: What foods can you consume to keep cavities away?
One, stick to fruits and vegetables rich in fiber. These clean away the food particles in the teeth, lowering cavity risks. Besides, they increase saliva production in the mouth, neutralizing acids.
Similarly, daily products like cheese increase saliva in the mouth. Also, they contain minerals like calcium, which are crucial in strengthening teeth and remineralization.
Potatoes, oatmeal, and black tea are some of the substances that contain fluoride. Consuming these substances can reverse the effects of demineralization.
Also, you can chew unsweetened chewing gum to stimulate salivary glands, which helps increase saliva production. With sufficient saliva in the mouth, the pH is low, and residual sugars are washed away, lowering the chances of growing cavities.
Find a Proficient Dental Professional Near Me
Understanding the foods or beverages that cause cavities is critical to preventing the condition and maintaining good oral health. If you need more information on foods that cause or prevent cavities or have a cavity that you would like to reverse, do not hesitate to contact The Lakewood Dentist at 562-423-1441 for assistance. Our dentists will list the good or bad food for your teeth and guide you on maintaining a balanced diet while keeping cavities at bay.