Maintaining healthy pearly whites involves more than just brushing and flossing — filling your plate with nutritious foods is also important. However, eating and drinking the wrong things can wreak havoc on your dental health. Here are three foods and drinks that can damage your teeth and have you running to a dentist more often than necessary.

3 Common Food Items That Can Damage Teeth

1. Dried Fruits

Compared to other, more sugar-packed snacks, dried fruit is a fairly nutritious option for curbing your hunger. The sweet morsels, however, are typically very sticky. This makes them stick to and in-between your teeth, which can cause cavities if not fully removed. When snacking on dried fruit, rinse your mouth with water and brush and floss afterward. The sooner you remove the sticky goo from your teeth, the less chance you have of developing dental issues.

2. Soda

It might make a great companion to movie theater popcorn, but any dentist will tell you that soda is bad news for your teeth. The carbonated drinks allow plaque to create more acid, which quickly erodes the protective enamel of your teeth. The drink also dries out your mouth, reducing healthy saliva that wards against gum disease, decay, and other dental conditions. And if that’s not enough to make you cut back on a soda habit, some studies have shown that excessive soda intake produces dental effects similar to several extremely dangerous drugs.

3. Bread

Bread might seem fairly innocuous when it comes to dental health, but a dentist will tell you otherwise. As you chew a piece of bread, saliva in the mouth breaks down the starch into sugar. Then, as the bread is mashed into a sticky goo, those sugars get caught in the gaps between your teeth. This leads to cavities if not removed quickly.

If you’re looking for expert dental care in the Lorain, OH, area, look no further than Gregory Sy, DDS & Associates. Whether you need a routine exam, teeth whitening, dental implants, or other procedures, this experienced dentist takes pride in delivering top-quality care in a friendly and comfortable environment. Visit the website for a full list of services or call (440) 282-9550 to speak with a friendly representative today.