Health foods that are actually harming your teeth
Health and wellness are on the top of a lot of people’s priorities these days. We think it’s great that people are focusing on healthy choices and looking after their bodies.
BUT we felt the need to write this blog post because of some alarming patterns we have been seeing with certain health foods in our patients’ teeth at our Perth dental clinic.
We are seeing more and more patients coming back time and again with new cavities, or decay around their fillings.
After detailed discussions we found out that there were 3 main foods/drinks that seemed to be causing it:
1. KOMBUCHA
Kombucha is a fermented sweetened tea that has become very popular recently for its perceived health benefits. While we won’t be discussing its health benefits here, we do want to talk about the sugar levels in kombucha.
According to this article on Choice, a sugary drink must have 2.5g/100mL of sugar or less to be considered ‘low sugar’. If you make your own kombucha, this is great, as you can control the amount of sugar in it yourself.
However, it’s worth checking the ingredients info carefully if you purchase kombucha, as the sugar levels in commercially available kombucha’s varies from 0.1g/100mL to 3.8g/100mL.
As always, everything is about frequency. If you’re having 1 kombucha drink a week, you will probably be fine, but if you are having more than 1 drink a day in between meals you may want to check you’re having a low sugar kombucha.
And definitely make sure you’re not drinking any kombucha before bed (unless you brush your teeth after).
Strictly speaking, the only drink or food you should be having after you’ve brushed your teeth and before you hit the sack, is plan ol’ H2O!
Unfortunately over the years of treating many patients we have seen the harmful effects of eating/drinking certain foods before bed without brushing your teeth. So far the list is: barley sugar lollies, oranges, sparkling water, mints….Just please don’t, for the sake of your teeth! We have seen patients who do this suddenly have a crazy number of cavities needing fixing and it’s so easy to avoid going down this path at all just by changing your habits!
2. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Another very popular food item which purportedly cures many an ailment, it’s important to know that apple cider is acidic. If you have it undiluted on a daily basis, it can increase the risk of you getting tooth decay.
To keep your teeth safe, we recommend you dilute it in water when you drink it, and also consume it when you are having a main meal (at breakfast, lunch, or dinner). This will dial down the acidic side effects and prevent any unwanted damage to your teeth.
3. SPARKLING WATER (not really a ‘healthy drink’, but some people do choose this over soft drink, which is definitely preferable).
Sparkling water is a great alternative to soft drinks, but it is important to know that because it is carbonated, it is also acidic. As such, we don’t recommend consuming too much of it on a daily basis. Just plain water is preferable.
It’s also not recommended to drink it in the night or before bed, if this becomes a habit, you are definitely at high risk of getting cavities. Unless it’s plain water you’re drinking, it’s best to brush your teeth again before you go to bed.
4. LEMON JUICE
Please be careful with this one, as again, lemon juice is highly acidic. We recommend dilution, and consuming it with a main meal. Another tip is to drink it through a straw so it is less likely to come into contact with your teeth. Also wait 30 minutes before you brush your teeth. The acid softens your teeth, and if you brush too soon after, you risk wearing or abrading away your enamel. Try placing some toothpaste around your teeth first and then waiting 30 minutes before brushing.
If you have any further questions about the effect of health foods on your teeth, call our Claremont dental clinic on 6143 5655 or book online here.
