Among oral health rules, one of the most well-known is that processed, sugary food causes cavities. After all, most people have heard it from their parents, their dentist, their friends, and others! However, did you know other cavity-causing foods don’t fit the stereotype? Indeed, seemingly harmless, healthy products can still lead to tooth decay. Do you want to know about some of these items? If so, your Jefferson dentist will help you out. Read on to learn four surprising foods that contribute to cavities.
Saltine Crackers
Saltine crackers may not taste super sweet, but they can still hurt your teeth. Being made of processed carbs and starches, they stimulate bacteria to erode your tooth enamel. For that reason, saltines are almost as harmful to pearly whites as sugar.
Worse yet, these crackers become a fine powder when chewed. As a result, they often cover every crevice of your mouth and leave starches on tooth surfaces.
Raisins
Raisins are valued as nutritious food due to their health benefits. Among other things, this shriveled fruit can aid digestion, boost your iron levels, and even strengthen your bones.
Even so, these perks don’t change the fact that raisins damage teeth. Though not processed, they’re filled with natural sugars that wear down teeth. In fact, this sugar content can match that of a candy bar or soda!
Like saltines, they also tend to stick to your teeth. In doing so, their sugar sticks to teeth and thus makes it easier for bacteria to erode enamel.
Cough Syrup
Cough syrup is meant to improve your health, so you might be jarred to learn it damages teeth. Apparently, the product has enough sugar that diabetics could get a blood sugar spike from it.
Also, a word of caution: before you give cough syrup to your kids, know that there isn’t definite proof that it’s effective at treating coughs.
Alcoholic Drinks
Even alcohol can cause cavities if you aren’t careful with it. Unlike the other items on this list, though, this fact isn’t due to this liquid having sugars or starches. (For the most part, anyway) Instead, alcohol triggers cavities to the extent it causes dry mouth.
You see, alcoholic drinks dehydrate your body. As they do so, they slow down your mouth’s saliva production, leading it to become drier than usual. Since saliva washes away harmful microbes, however, the newly-dry space becomes a breeding ground for cavity-causing bacteria.
In the end, it isn’t just candy, ice cream, or other popular sweets that cause cavities. Therefore, remember the cavity-causing foods above, so you don’t put your smile at risk.
About the Practice
The Dental Group of Jefferson is based in Jefferson, OH. As led by Drs. Casey Hammon and Stephanie Pichler, our practice emphasizes attentive, individualized dentistry. To that end, we offer custom preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, not to mention emergency care. You can thus count on us for anything from dental checkups to prosthetics like dental implants. For more information or to book a visit, reach us on our website or call us at (440)-576-7040.