We all know that sugar is terrible for teeth. But other ways to damage your pearly whites aren’t as obvious. Snacking is one of the biggest hidden culprits of tooth decay and erosion. Unhealthy snacking habits, especially those involving sticky chewy snacks and drinks, can cause a lot of damage to your teeth. Sugar in these snacks quickly turns to acid when it mixes with saliva. These acids attack tooth enamel and dentin, the softer layers of your teeth beneath the surface. While dentin does have some protective properties, these don’t last forever. Once exposed, the acids continue attacking the underlying layers until they reach the root structure, where they can potentially induce permanent damage and infection.
How Snacking Affects Your Teeth
Teeth are porous, meaning that they can absorb external substances. While this is helpful in certain situations, like when you need to absorb nutrients from foods, it is also a significant factor in tooth decay. When you snack on food items that contain sugar, it is quickly converted to acid when it comes in contact with your saliva. These acids then attack tooth enamel and the inner layer of your teeth, known as dentin. While enamel is solid and can withstand much abuse, it is not entirely impenetrable. Once enamel is worn away, the underlying layers of your teeth are exposed to these harmful acids, and bacteria are always present in your mouth. This can quickly lead to tooth decay, cavities, and increased tooth sensitivity. The damage is not limited to the surface areas of teeth, either. When tooth enamel is worn away, the roots of teeth become exposed. These are not as strong as the top layers of teeth, and they do not have any protective barrier against bacteria or acids in the mouth. If the acids and bacteria in your mouth are allowed to remain unchecked, they can travel through the roots of teeth, softening and weakening them, eventually leading to tooth loss.
How Different Types of Snacks Affect Your Teeth
A couple of factors dictate how harmful a particular snack is for your teeth. These factors include snack food ingredients and the overall nutritional value of the item. The way you consume a snack can also have an effect. For example, eating a diet soda will affect your teeth differently than sipping on a smoothie with the same ingredients. Teeth can be harmed in a few ways by different snacks. Some snacks are high in sugar, which can cause minimal damage to teeth in small doses.
Teeth Friendly Snacks
1. Fruits and vegetables: Apples, carrots, and celery are some excellent examples of healthy snacks that help keep your teeth healthy. Fruits and vegetables contain a high amount of water, minerals, vitamins, and a small amount of sugar.
2. Nuts: Nuts and seeds are good protein sources and healthy fats. They can also be eaten raw if you look for lower teeth-decaying sugars. People looking to cut back on their snack intake can also use nuts as a healthy substitute for crackers with cheese or peanut butter.
3. Dry Cereal: While this might not seem like a teeth-friendly snack, the trick is to eat it dry.
Tips to Protect Your Teeth When You Must Eat Snacking
Brush Your Teeth: Most people who snack will brush their teeth beforehand but are not thorough enough when removing the food particles that will turn into acids on your teeth.
Floss: While brushing your teeth can help remove food and bacteria from the surface of your teeth, it does not remove debris from the entire mouth. Therefore, flossing is essential when removing plaque in hard-to-reach areas and bacteria from between teeth.
Limit Your Sugar Intake: This should go without saying, but foods that contain a high amount of sugar, like sugary snacks, candies, and soda, should be kept to a minimum. You should also avoid using too many foods when cooking or baking.
Drink water: Water is good for your overall health and helps neutralize the acids in your mouth, which can help minimize damage to your teeth.
Snacking is a part of life, and it is hard to avoid. The key is to ensure you are doing it correctly, so you are not risking your teeth. With the tips and tricks listed above, you can snack more often and protect your teeth from demineralization and decay. All in all, it is essential to be mindful of how often you are snacking and what types of foods you are choosing to snack on. Doing so can help to minimize damage to your teeth, as well as your overall health. Contact the Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre in Ottawa for more information about dental care or any queries and bookings.
