These Foods & Drinks Can Seriously F Up Your Teeth
Let’s be real: you have enough shit to worry about. From keeping your hair healthy, to clearing up your skin, to eating organically — you probably forget about your teeth.
But, they’re important! Not only do they make up your smile, but if they get fucked up they can cost you a lot of money, not to mention pain.
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Brushing and flossing is nice, but what you eat and drink on the daily can also mess with your teeth. We asked Afora CEO Dr. Jeff Rappaport about what to avoid if you want your teeth to be extra perf.
1. Mixed Drinks With Soda
Everyone gives beer a bad rep, but mixed drinks are just as bad calorically, plus they’re bad af for your teeth!
“Hard liquor isn’t to blame when it comes to cocktails, it’s the carbonated mixers,” says Dr. Rappaport. “Even soda water.”
Tragically, carbonated drinks of any kind will soften and damage your tooth enamel, which means Rosé and champagne are included. It’s not the alcohol, it’s the fizzy bubbles that are the culprit. Maybe just chug straight vodka instead?
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2. Wine
Just when you were thinking regular, non-carbonated wine was safe, Dr. Rappaport had to drop some truth bombs.
“Beverages made from fruits produce more acid,” he explains.
White wines are more acidic, but red wine can stain your teeth, so you’re basically fucked either way. Luckily, as long as you take care of your teeth and visit your dentist enough, you should be gucci.
3. Coffee
Are you starting to think that every good drink is bad for your teeth? Well, you’re not totally wrong. Unfortunately, coffee is also highly acidic, which is bad news bears for your teeth.
The good news is that tea is actually good for your teeth. It contains polyphenols, which slows the growth of cavity causing bacteria. It also contains way less caffeine, so it’s better for you in general.
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4. Chips
Alright, nobody thought that chips were healthy, but they’re also not great for your teeth.
“Starchy foods break down into sugars immediately upon consumption,” explains Dr. Rappaport. “These sugars stick to and weaken enamel. They also easily get stuck between teeth in impossible-for-your-toothbrush-to-reach places.”
Flossing can help, but only to an extent.
“Hard chips like bagel or pita chips can chip teeth and crowns which can cause discomfort and an emergency trip to the dentist,” he adds.
RIP to those chips, ya’ll.
5. Sour Candies
This is another obvious one, considering it’s probs the one thing you learned from your dentist even though you’ve chosen to ignore it because candy is delish.
“All hard candies can be dangerous to our teeth,” says Dr. Rappaport. “If chewed, they can chip teeth or existing dental work.”
But it’s not just the chewing of hard candies that will bring your danger, it’s also the suckable ones.
“Candies that are sucked on and dissolve slowly in the mouth saturate teeth with acid and sugar,” he says. “Sour candies are especially high in acidic ingredients.”
Instead, he recommends swapping your fave candies with sugar-free breath mints, which can actually be good for your teeth.
6. Dried Fruits
Dried fruits are tricky. You think they’re healthy because they involve fruit, but they’re actually loaded with sugar!
“They may be an healthy alternative to say, caramel or Starbursts, but debris sticks into the crevices on the tops of our teeth, not only delivering a direct sugar source but can also pull out old, weak, or temporary fillings,” says Dr. Rappaport.
The only dried fruit that got his stamp of approval is raisins, which are naturally sweetened. You should also be fine with any dried fruit with no added sugars, always check the label and make sure that the only ingredient is the fruit itself!
