Tips from a General Dentist in Visalia on Foods and Drinks to Avoid

As a general dentist in Visalia, we know there are things you can do to help improve your oral hygiene and make sure you do not have a dental emergency. For example, you can brush and floss your teeth at least twice per day and drink plenty of water and, while it may seem repetitive, it is important that you schedule a visit with our dentist office at least once every six months.

Watch for Dangerous Foods

There has never been a time, potentially in all of human history, when folks have had access to such a wide variety of food and drink products. As a result, people have incorporated all kinds of different food types from different cultures into their regular diet, all of which can have an effect on your teeth. For example, the introduction of sushi and the excessive use of soy sauce can result in the staining of your teeth. Additionally, we live in a society that craves boosts of energy. As a result, tea and coffee products are extremely popular, while many people turn to energy drinks in order to boost their energy levels. Both tea and coffee can stain your teeth, while high levels of sugar in most energy drinks can damage your enamel, lead to an explosion of oral bacteria, and ultimately lead to problems like cavities or gum disease unless you are also scheduling regular visits to our office.  As a general dentist in Visalia, we can help to keep your teeth in good condition.

People do not realize that the drinks they consume can be even more damaging to their teeth than the food products they eat. For example, a Coca-Cola or Pepsi product can contain as much as nine tablespoons of sugar. While they may be refreshing and quench your thirst, unless you are in the habit of rinsing your mouth after drinking these products, you are literally leaving your teeth in a sea of sugar. When you take a sip of a sugar-rich product like one of the above, you are basically bathing your teeth in sugar and putting the oral bacteria into overdrive. As a general dentist in Visalia, we highly recommend that you reduce or eliminate such products from your diet, and if you must have them, then make it a habit of rinsing your mouth immediately after drinking such a product. An even better solution would be to actually brush your teeth right after drinking one of these products.

Energy drinks are also extremely high in sugar content and should be avoided whenever possible. In addition to the high levels of sugar concentration in these types of soft drinks and energy boosters, they also have an extremely high pH level. pH levels determine the amount of acidity in a product, and a product with a higher pH level can be extremely damaging to your tooth enamel. As a general dentist in Visalia, we highly recommend that you know what the pH levels are, approximately, in the food you eat and the drinks you consume.  When you do not have this information, drink water.