The Nine Everyday Foods You Didn’t Know Were Ruining Your Teeth

Some of them are not too surprising… But there's others that we may shed a little tear over. Dental hygiene is really important if you want to dazzle people with your well-looked after smile, so here are just a few foods to keep an eye on if you want to keep your pearly whites sparkling. Apples While eating apples is fine, in reality, when you’ve eaten one you should be rinsing out your mouth with water or mouth wash afterwards. This is because apples are high in acid and are quite hard on the enamel of your teeth. Jam Full of sugar and quite sticky, jam can be quite damaging to the teeth unless washed away quicly. Popcorn One of our favourite treats is actually not the kindest for our mouths. Not only does it get stuck in your teeth and can lead to the build-up of bacteria, you really should be washing and flossing after eating a bag. Diet drinks While we know it's not a food, many people falsely believe that because diet drinks don’t have as much sugar as their regular counterparts, their teeth will be fine. However, the acidity in diet drinks is extremely high, making it very bad for your teeth. Bread A number of breads – particularly processed white breads – contain a lot of sugar and also added sweeteners which can play havoc with your teeth. Bagels can be particularly damaging. Salad dressing Some salad dressings can be very bad for your teeth, as vinegar and sugar is used to flavour them. They may be tasty, but you could be making a trip to the dentist as a result. Citrus If you eat a lot of citrus fruits such as lemons or limes, even by just adding some to your water, it can break down the enamel on your teeth. Drink some plain water instead.     Watch your alcohol intake We know it's not food, but alcohol can be the cause of dehydration and people who drink in excess will have a reduced saliva flow over time. This can lead to tooth decay and even gum disease. Ice cream Full of sugar and chock a block with artificial ingredients, ice cream can also play havoc with sensitive teeth. Best as a rare treat.