Which Healthy Foods And Drinks Can Be Bad For Your Teeth?

Healthy eating is great, and a common goal for all of us – as it should be! But it’s not just sugary foods that pose a potential risk to your health. If you don’t keep an eye on things, these foodstuffs can have an impact on your dental health too. Now, we’re not saying that you can’t – for example – eat fresh fruit or drink green tea. But they can affect your teeth in surprising little ways when you have them on a regular basis, so it’s worth knowing all the facts!

4 Healthy Foods That Are High In Sugar:

1. Fruits such as figs, strawberries and mangoes.
2. Acidic citrus fruits such as grapefruits, lemons and oranges.
3. Fruit juices.
4. Sports drinks (especially fizzy ones!).

Is Eating Fruit Bad For Your Teeth?

They can be – it depends on which ones you’re eating. Grapefruits, oranges and lemons are known to be very acidic, which means they can easily damage your tooth enamel if you consume them in too high quantities. Figs, strawberries and mangoes, on the other hand, are high in natural sugars, which can have equally serious effects. While it’s true that they’re variously high in vitamins, great for your digestive system and can bring your body all sorts of other healthy advantages, you still need to eat them in moderation if you want to avoid lasting damage to your teeth.

On the other hand, avocados, cranberries and raspberries are all known for being low in sugar, making them consistently safe bets for your healthy eating plans – or even if you just want a quick between-meals snack.

The Flipsides Of Healthy Drinks

Hot water and lemon juice is one of those morning drinks that’s seeing a resurgence recently. It’s being promoted by various healthy living blogs, and while it is indeed definitely an improvement over a sugary cup of tea, it’s probably not a great idea to rely too much on it for much the same reasons we stated above. Lemon juice has concentrated amounts of acid in it, which can damage your teeth in large quantities.

Green tea is another common resort for those looking to improve the healthy qualities of their morning beverages. However, if it’s a daily habit it can stain your teeth rather more easily than you might think! It’s not got quite the same level of risk as coffee, but the experts advise that you should drink it straight down when you consume it, rather than swishing it around your mouth.

Fruit juices and smoothies are drinks we’ve mostly covered above, so we won’t delve too much into their specifics. It’s easy to get tempted by a juicing diet with its promises of weight loss and overall health improvements, but don’t be fooled! Fruit juices are just as high in sugar and acids as their solid equivalents – sometimes even more so.

Sports drinks are another common culprit. Most brands of sports drinks rely heavily on their association with exercise to implicitly associate themselves with healthy living. Unfortunately, it’s very much the opposite; sports drinks are usually packed with the same levels of sugar that you’d find in any other fizzy drink.

It’s worth reiterating that we’re not saying you can never have these foods or drinks – just that they’re not quite as perfect as they first appear! Like anything else, they’re just best consumed in moderation. At APSmilecare, we’re staffed by an expert team of dental health professionals, and we’re passionate about the smiles we look after. You can click here to see our full range of dental treatments, or call us on 01254 297 000 to book an appointment. We’re here to help!

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