Often times, we eat our favorite food without knowing that it may have high acid content. But are you aware of what high acidic food can do to your teeth? Do you know how acid affects your teeth?
Commonly Served Acidic Foods
Even though fruit such as grapefruits, lemon, oranges, and limes are healthy, they’re acidic. This doesn’t mean that you should stop eating them, but it’s advised that you consume them with water right after to make sure they don’t harm your enamel. Here are other highly acidic foods you should be aware of:
- Tomato products (pasta sauce, ketchup, salsa, hot sauce)
- Coffee
- Pickles
- Cranberries
- Alcohol (wine)
Why you should be careful
The acid in the food that you eat and drink wears away your tooth enamel, which affects the color of your teeth. The weakening of the tooth enamel starts the occurrence of demineralization, exposing your teeth’s dentin and increasing sensitivity with cold or hot drinks. Whenever you eat highly acidic food, don’t brush your teeth right after because it will wear down your enamel. Wait a few minutes to do so. If you brush too soon, you’re only helping the acid speed up the process of softening your enamel. Remember that demineralization can result in tooth decay.
How to prevent dental erosion
The best practice if you want to eat acidic foods is to pair them with foods that have high pH level. These include cheese, oatmeal, nuts, bananas, mangos, melons, eggs, apples, vegetables, brown rice and whole grains. You may also eat fish and lean meat. These foods help protect your enamel by neutralizing acids or acidic saliva. Also, the calcium and phosphorus that they provide help to remineralize enamel.
Prevention
To be sure that your teeth remain healthy, visit your dentist at least twice a year for dental cleanings. This plays an important role in maintaining good oral health and in determining any dental issues. For a healthy dental lifestyle, drink plenty of water to keep your mouth moist. Doing this allows your saliva to cleanse the acidic content from your mouth. Use fluoride toothpastes because they will help repair tooth enamel and reduce your risk of having tooth decay.
The American Dental Association (ADA) states that fluoride remineralizes your tooth enamel; therefore, using fluoride mouthwash helps lessen the severity of dental erosion. And don’t forget to floss properly once a day! Make it a routine to keep your mouth and teeth healthy every day.
We shouldn’t take the little things for granted. For example, chew some sugar-free gum to keep your gums healthy, increase saliva flow, and speed up neutralization of acid in the mouth. Keep your teeth strong!