While it’s really no secret that we encourage our patients to limit sugar intake, it may surprise some to learn that it’s not only the sugar that’s harmful to your teeth. At the Chapel Hill dental office of Dr. Bilal Saib, we want all of our patients to know that while sugary snacks can cause damage to your teeth, some are more harmful than others.
The key ingredient in all sweets is, of course, sugar. And while sugar can wreak havoc in your mouth, sugary sweets that are sticky, like caramel and taffy, can be even more damaging. The texture of these foods and others like them causes the sugar to linger on your teeth longer, leaving your them vulnerable to decay.
Sticky foods don’t necessarily have to be sweet to be dangerous. Sticky foods in general are harmful to dental restorations and can easily pull out fillings or loosen crowns.
While sweets and sticky foods are most definitely dangerous to the health of your teeth, other foods that may not be so obviously bad are just as detrimental, if not worse.
Crunchy foods, like popcorn or even ice, can not only cause broken teeth in Chapel Hill, they can also cause tiny cracks and chips, which leaves teeth more susceptible to cavities and other problems. While our teeth are strong and are made to help us chew, they aren’t unbreakable. And crunching ice cubes and catching the hidden kernel in your bucket of popcorn with your molar are just the types of things can cause a broken, or chipped, tooth.
All of us at our Chapel Hill dental office want to keep patients’ smiles healthy. One of the best ways you can help is to make sure you maintain regularly scheduled appointments – especially if you’ve got a sweet tooth or really love to munch on popcorn.
If you’re due for a check up, or if you happen to experience a dental injury from your snacking habits, don’t wait. Give your Chapel Hill dentist a call to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
