Trying to stay relatively healthy this Christmas? It’s useful to have a bit of knowledge about the foods that might keep you back….
Red wine
We all know that red wine is not friend of our teeth. It stains clothes and things with quite a lot of venom and belligerence let alone your teeth! Red wine contains chromogens which create tooth-discolouring pigments as well as tannins that will dry out your mouth, making your teeth sticky and more susceptible to staining. Although white wine may not show this type of damage as much as red wine does, it also falls into the same category unfortunately! The corrosive acids in both drinks open your teeth up to staining from other foods that you consume afterwards. Be sure to drink a few gulps of water with each sip so as to reduce your chance of damage from staining.
Citrus
Traditional Christmas fruits such as oranges in your stocking and the fruit juices that you’ll be consuming can have some damaging effects on your teeth. Citrus fruits contain a huge amount of acid which corrodes the protective coating on your teeth – your tooth enamel.
Confectionary (especially toffee and caramel!)
Confectionary is a fairly obvious example of a food that is bad for your teeth. However, it’s caramel and toffee that are the worst in this category. Containing plenty of sugar, these will increase your chance of tooth decay, becoming lodged in your teeth. If this build-up in your teeth is allowed to happen often, eventually plaque and tartar will stick to your teeth and you could develop gum gingivitis or periodontitis.
If you would like some advice about what to eat over the Chrostmas period to keep your teeth healthy please contact us and we can arrange to discuss this with you.