Think you’re taking top notch care of your teeth? It seems like a straightforward thing to do by brushing, flossing and seeing the dentist twice a year for check-ups, right? But one dentist is warning that some habits we think of as healthy could actually be wreaking havoc on your smile.
'You'd be shocked how many well-meaning health habits are sneaky saboteurs of your smile,' says Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, a holistic and biologic dentist. It turns out, some of our routines and the foods we enjoy can cause enamel erosion, where the hard, outer layer of teeth gets worn away, and that can lead to sensitivity and cavities.
“If you want your teeth to last a lifetime, you need to protect them like the precious living structures they are,” Jorgensen says. So, how do we best do that? Rethinking these habits can help.
- Sipping lemon water all day - The dentist says she has patients who do this because they heard it’s good for detoxing, but all that acid is terrible for teeth as it can lead to enamel erosion.
- Drinking green smoothies - They may seem like the ultimate healthy drink, but what’s in the blender makes a big difference. “Without a little calcium added in, the oxalates in raw spinach can actually pull minerals from your teeth,” Jorgensen says. “I call it the ‘health halo effect.’ Things that look angelic on Instagram, but wreak havoc in your mouth.”
- Snacking on dried fruit - Raisins are considered nature’s candy to some, but they can raise the risk of cavities, along with other dried fruit and all-fruit gummy snacks. According to this expert, they’re “worse than a Snickers bar when it comes to cavity risk.”
- Powering up with sports drinks - Energy drinks, Crystal Light and even “natural” sports drinks that are lower in calories can still be high in acidity. Jorgensen notes, “That low pH literally dissolves the minerals in your teeth.”
- Grazing on Goldfish crackers - Those little orange snacks - the ones we happily give to little kids - are “starch bombs” that “break down into simple sugars and coat kids’ teeth like glue,” according to the dentist.
Source: Daily Mail