Dental Dangers in Your Diet

Our diet is a big part of our dental health. The foods we eat can sometimes lead to tooth decay or cracked teeth if we’re not careful. Here are some common culprits that may be eroding your smile. Before and After Veneer Avoiding these foods or eating them in moderation may help you to preserve your whole, white teeth.

Cracked Teeth

Almonds and popcorn are the most common foods that lead to chipped or cracked teeth that Dr. Broome sees in the office. Another common cause is accidentally biting the fork while eating. Almonds and popcorn are fairly healthy snacks. As such, many people eat them at work or in between meals. However, it is important to be careful not to bite down hard on an unexpected kernel or try to bite too many almonds at once! If you do experience a chip or crack in your tooth, there are means to fix it. At Charlotte Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, we offer porcelain veneers, inlays and onlays, and dental crowns to fix broken teeth. Veneers are a popular way to cover damage through custom-made shells that are bonded to the teeth. Inlays and onlays can be used to correct damage too small for a crown but too big for a simple filling. Dental crowns can be used for cracked or decaying teeth, where the damage needs to be replaced.

Tooth Decay

Sugar leads to tooth decay and sugar can show up in many unexpected foods. For instance, even a breakfast cereal touted as being “healthy” can have up to three teaspoons of sugar per serving! Check the sugar content of any cereal before buying it - it’s usually safest to stick with wheat biscuits or unsweetened oats. In addition, while the sugar in fruit is considered healthy, it can still wreak havoc on your teeth. Blending whole fruits releases their sugar content, making that fruit smoothie dangerous for your smile. If you need your smoothie fix, try to drink it with a straw to minimize tooth damage. If caught at an early enough stage, Charlotte Center for Cosmetic Dentistry offers a few options to prevent further decay. ICON is a non-invasive treatment that works to actively reverse tooth decay while MI-Paste is a cream, which can be applied to help treat tooth decay in the earliest stages. If tooth decay progresses further, fillings, crowns, and other options are available to correct it.

Stained Teeth

Your daily coffee in the morning may help wake you up, but it comes at a cost - yellow teeth! Hot beverages, such as coffee and black tea, contribute to stained teeth over time. When drunk regularly, the tannins in tea and coffee end up turning teeth yellow. However, you may be able to prevent this staining by rinsing the mouth with water after your drink. This can help wash off the tannins left behind on your teeth. Or, you could give up caffeine and switch to decaffeinated green tea, which is fine for teeth. If you can’t give up your coffee and end up with stained teeth, we have solutions for that as well. We offer various teeth whitening services, the most popular of which is Zoom! teeth whitening. A Zoom! treatment takes only about an hour and is safe and effective. Porcelain veneers can also be used to achieve a whiter smile, if the stains are too severe for other teeth whitening treatments or if there are other problems with the teeth besides just stains.

Contact Charlotte Center for Cosmetic Dentistry

If you are suffering stained, cracked, chipped, or otherwise damaged teeth, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Broome at Charlotte Center for Cosmetic Dentistry. Call 704 364 4711to make your appointment today! Next, read about these 4 surprising foods that can damage your teeth.