Foods that benefit the Body, But harm the teeth.

In the world of foods, a lot of weirdos
apply. It turned out that many foods that
benefit the body are harmful to the teeth.
Here’s a list of some of such foods…
Milk:
Nutritionists note that milk is a healthy source of calcium. Other top sources of this
mineral are cheese, turnip greens, oranges,
and broccoli; but milk not only has the most
calcium, it’s also a great source of vitamin
D, riboflavin, carotene, and retinol, among
others. However, despite these numerous pluses, milk can wreak havoc on your teeth
— that is if you take much milk while you are
careless with oral hygiene! A dentist, Dr.
Deola Olonilua, says the lactose (a form of
sugar) in milk rots the teeth as much as
frizzy drinks do. She warns that even though certain foods are healthy, the
presence of certain elements or minerals in
then can damage the teeth when the eater
has prolonged exposure to such foods. She
says, “Milk has a sugar in it called lactose.
The lactose in milk can be especially dangerous for children if they have it just
before bedtime. This is because the milk will
still be on their teeth as they sleep, and the
sugars are converted to acids by oral
bacteria. The acids can coat the teeth and
consequently eat away at the tooth enamel. That is one of the ways people develop
cavities.” She advises that people should not
hit the bed immediately after taking milk.
Rather, she counsels,
“You should rinse your mouth thoroughly
after taking milk, or better still, brush your teeth as the last thing before bed.
Lemon:
Though lemon drinks have detoxifying and
other benefits, it can affect your teeth in
many ways than one. Lemon contains citric
acid, which, dentists say, causes enamel erosion and other dental problems. The
online portal, 1800dentist.com, states,
“Drinking lemon juice can put you at risk for
tooth erosion, a condition where the thin,
protective layer of enamel slowly wears
away from your teeth. Lemon juice contains acid, which irritates gums and softens tooth
enamel.” Experts warn that frequent
consumption of products that contain acid
will eventually destroy the enamel and
expose underlying dentin, leaving your teeth
vulnerable to sensitivity and tooth decay. “Enamel erosion is one of the most common
causes of cavities and tooth loss. This is
because when you feast on these fruits for a
long period, it means you are constantly
bathing your teeth in acid and sugar; this
will not allow your saliva to wash it away and neutralise the acids,” Olonilua says.
Other fruits in this category include orange,
apple and grapefruit juice. The dentist says
since these fruits also contain natural
sugars, the best bet is to thoroughly rinse the
mouth after taking them. Dried fruits:
In these days of eating on-the-go, dried
fruits come in handy, as you can munch them
at any time
of the day. Plus, they are available all the
year round, and you can stock up on them without any fear that they would rot.
However, experts say though dried fruits
have admirably long shelf life, their
detrimental effects on the teeth are
enormous. Olonilua says, “Dried fruits can
be harmful to the teeth because of their concentrated sugar content and stickiness.
When you eat dried fruits, parts of them can
easily adhere to the teeth, while the sugar in
them encourages bacteria to thrive in the
mouth. This is very likely to erode tooth
enamel.” Scientists contend that since dried fruits are packed
with non-soluble cellulose fibre, they can
bind and trap sugars on and around the
tooth, making it worse than sweets. They
advise that after taking dried fruit, brush
immediately; and if you have no access to brush, rinse your mouth thoroughly while
running your tongue all over your teeth.
Red, white wine:
When taken in moderation, wine is said to
benefit the heart immensely. But then, wines
do wreck havoc on teeth also. Take the red wine, for instance, which, experts say, is a
tasty mix of natural dyes, acids, and tannin.
These three ingredients leave lasting effects
on teeth, as they can contribute to teeth
stain. Researchers say saliva in our mouth
helps to wash away food particles and protect against acidic foods. However, wine
contains alcohol, and alcohol suppresses the
production of saliva. When this happens
frequently, it is harmful for teeth and it may
lead to gum disease. In extreme cases, it
may lead to oral cancer, experts warn. A group of New York University researchers
warn that if taken in excess, the acidic
composition of wines can dissolve the
enamel, make teeth porous and easily
stained. Another study published in the
journal Nutrition Research states that different types of wine may have a more
negative impact on your teeth than others.
The study shows that white wine has an
acid content that tends to increase the risk
of dark dental stains if you also drink tea or
similar beverages. The researchers tested the effects of multiple red and white wines
on teeth, and found that wine erodes the
enamel of teeth, while white wine has a
worse impact than red wine. “Wine is highly
acidic, and the acid leads to lower levels of
minerals such as calcium and dental erosion. The white grape variety (riesling) was found
to be the most acidic of the wines tested,”
the study says. Well, unlike the advice with
other foods, experts say it is not
recommended to brush immediately after
drinking wine. “The softened teeth can be eroded by vigorous hygiene, so you should
rinse — and wait a bit — before scrubbing
your teeth,” the experts advise. Olonilua
says for this reason, it’s always a good idea
to drink some water after drinking wine in
order to rinse the acids from your mouth.