How Dieting is Bad for Your Teeth
Dieting can do wonders for your health, confidence, and waist size, but did you know that dieting could have negative effects too? The common foods and nutrients you consume during a diet can actually be harmful to your teeth. Many of the foods you eat when on a diet have high acidity that will damage your enamel and lead to cavities. When you are on a diet be aware of the following high acidity foods and what they are doing to your smile.
COMMON DIET FOODS THAT ARE DAMAGING YOUR SMILE
Salad Dressing
A staple of many diets includes eating more leaves in a healthy and low calorie salad. To add flavor to a salad, people usually add some type of salad dressing, whether it’s Italian, ranch, or thousand islands. The problem with salad dressings however, is that most of them are high in vinegar content, which is a major contender in tooth enamel erosion. With weakened and eroded tooth enamel, cavities are not far behind. The good news is that lettuce and other vegetable greens neutralize acids so dressing your salad sparingly or keeping a glass of water to sip when eating salad will help protect your teeth.
Acidic Fruits
Replacing chips and cookies with naturally sweet fruits is a good way to cut back on the sugar and saturated fats. Apples, grapes, pineapples, and oranges are all readily available in stores and great for replacing the less healthy snack alternatives. While fruit has less sugar and saturated fats it also has higher acidity levels that can damage your teeth over time. When eating fruits with high levels of acid, be sure to take a drink of water after each bite to rinse acid away from your teeth.
Diet Soda
This controversial beverage and the studies about it has left many confused about its overall health effects, but a lot people still drink it when they are dieting and in need of a refreshing drink. Although diet soda contains less sugar, it still has the same acidic properties as regular soda and can eventually cause cavities. When drinking soda, diet or otherwise, try to sip through a straw to prevent the acidic drink from coming into contact with your teeth.
Lemon Water/Juices
Forgoing soda altogether and opting for fruit infused water or juices may seem like the ideal solution. These beverages however, can also damage your teeth with eroding acid. Juices can contain added sugar as well, which increase bacteria in the mouth and decaying enamel. Drinking through a straw or sipping regular water after drinking these beverages can help lessen the eroding effects on your teeth.
When dieting and eating healthier, remember that not all low calorie foods are good for your pearly whites. Maintain your smile by drinking water after bites, sipping through straws, or skipping these foods all together. You can also help prevent tooth decay by brushing with enamel restoring toothpaste. Talk to your dentist for more ways on keeping your teeth healthy when you are switching up your daily nutrition.
cavity prevention, dental health, dental tips, smile protection