6 Foods & Drinks that Damage Teeth

The main cause of cavities is the acid that sits on the teeth and wears away enamel over time. Foods, from sugary sweets to starchy carbohydrates (carbs), dissolve into sugars that turn into corrosive acid in the mouth, attacking teeth and weakening their strong veneer. To maintain healthy teeth, avoid these harmful foods, or when you absolutely must indulge, be sure to rinse twice daily with a plaque-clearing LISTERINE^® mouthwash after brushing your teeth.

#1 Hard Candies

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Candies that you suck on for a long time or those that you need to break down with your teeth can cause serious damage. They put a dent in enamel and endanger the health of your mouth. In addition, candies are loaded with sugar that sticks to the teeth and takes a long time to dissolve, making it easier to develop cavities.

#2 Acidic Drinks

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Juice, sports drinks and all sodas (including diet) are packed with sugar and acid, which is bad news for your teeth. If you want to drink something other than water, look for brands that have no added sugar. You could also try adding a bit of fruit or vegetable, such as watermelon or cucumber, to plain old water to get a refreshing flavour that is less damaging.

You may want to consider diluting juice with water to make it less harmful to your teeth.

#3 Cake

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This treat, or any other sweet that is made with a lot of sugar, is problematic for your teeth. Sticky sweets are the worst teeth offenders. Foods that easily stick to teeth and get jammed between the gum and the tooth allow sugars to attack enamel and are hard to wash away.
Limit your sweets, and when you do indulge, try to brush afterwards to minimise the damage. This only cleans 25% of your mouth, so remember to rinse twice daily with LISTERINE^® mouthwash.

#4 Pasta

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Starchy foods, such as pasta, rice and even potatoes, harm the teeth because they metabolise into sugars. These sugars produce acid that wears away tooth enamel.

#5 Ice

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Chewing on ice and other hard substances can potentially crack your enamel, exposing your teeth. Other harmful habits involving your mouth, like opening bottles and bags of chips with your teeth, should also be avoided .

#6 Hard Nuts

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In addition to possibly cracking your enamel, chewing on hard nuts can also damage dental implants, dentures and braces. Try eating smaller nut pieces instead of whole nuts if the nuts are particularly hard, or eat nuts ground up in butters and spreads.