Brushing, flossing, using mouthwash and having regular checkups are all vitally important for good teeth, but it’s important not to overlook the power of a solid diet in dental health.
And even though we all know things like fizzy drinks, sweets or lollies and chocolate are bad for our pearly whites, there are more surprising foods that also contribute to bad teeth.
Dr Peter Chuang from the Australian Dental Association Oral Health Committee recently revealed the unexpected foods that are ruining your white smile.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at what you might want to limit or ditch altogether.
Citrus fruitsÂ
It’s hard to debate the fact that fruit is good for you. But is your daily lemon-infused water, orange and grapefruit doing much good for your teeth?
‘Oranges and other citrus fruits such as lemons and grapefruits contain high levels of citric avid, which can lead to an increased risk of enamel erosion and teeth sensitivity,’ Dr Chuang told Women’s Health.
In their place, he recommends swapping them out for an apple or a banana, which both contain less acid.
Pasta
Your regular pasta habit isn’t anything to be worried about, right?
But if they are laced in Napoli or any tomato-based sauce, you might want to be careful – as Dr Chuang warns that both of these are highly acidic.
He warned that canned tomatoes – which are typically used to make pasta sauces – are also much higher in acid than normal tomatoes.
If you want to make your pasta better for your teeth, opt for natural-based sauces or a simple olive oil base.
Popcorn
It’s not just acidic foods you need to worry about. The dentist pointed out that hard and crunchy foods ‘also place great strains on your teeth, increasing the risk of fracture’.
One such food among these is popcorn, which can often contain unpopped kernels among the popped ones – and these can crack your teeth.
‘A special mention goes to candied varieties like caramel popcorn – coated in hard, sticky sugars,’ Dr Chuang said.
You might want to swap your preferred cinema snack for some nachos instead.
Ice
In the same way that unpopped popcorn can wreak havoc with your teeth, so too can chewing on ice be detrimental to good dental health.
If you have any large fillings in particular, the expert recommends you stay away from either sucking on or chewing ice.
Pickled foods
Last but not least, while fermented foods are enjoying a decent period in the health spotlight thanks to their ability to aid gut health, again they are very acidic.
Dr Chuang warned that ‘the distinct flavour of pickled foods is often addictive’ and many of us think things like olives are good for us.
But we should be aware of too much acid in general, and instead swap these things out for something like carrot sticks and houmous.