Of course, you likely know that your diet influences your smile. Depending on what you eat, a tooth can get exposed to staining agents, tooth-decaying sugar, and harmful mouth bacteria. However, did you know there are foods that can chip teeth too? Indeed, one lousy bite and these items could make bits of your enamel fall off. Assuming you want to avoid a dental emergency, then, you’ll want to know which foods have this effect. Fortunately enough, your Fort Worth dentist can tell you a few. Read on to learn four foods known to chip teeth.
Popcorn
You see, popcorn kernels can be hard to see amidst the bigger, fluffier pieces. As a result, you could easily bite down hard on one and potentially crack a tooth. Should that happen, there’s a risk that said tooth’s nerve would become exposed.
Thankfully, some tips reduce the dangers of popcorn. First, give your bowl a good shake beforehand so the kernels settle on its bottom. Secondly, only grab a few pieces of popcorn at a time. Doing so makes you less likely to snatch a kernel that ruins your smile.
Hard Candies
Hard candies — lollipops, jawbreakers, and so on — are made to be held in the mouth for an extended period. In other words, you shouldn’t chew them. Biting them so they dissolve more quickly could seriously harm your teeth and jaw.
At the same time, be careful when you suck on hard candies. While they may temporarily help your mouth make saliva, they also increase your risk of tooth decay.
Hard Breads
Like hard candies, hard breads ought to be savored rather than forcefully chewed. Due to their texture, the latter action would likely break one (or more) of your teeth.
If you chew one of these breads, try softening it first. You could dip it into fresh olive oil or butter, either of which will make the texture fluffier. On the other hand, you could try to eat breads fresh from the oven, as they’re often still soft at this point.
Jerky
Because jerky is a dried (and seasoned) muscle, it tends to be hard and chewy. As a result, biting into it can take a toll on your teeth and the joints in your jaw.
Given these factors, repeatedly chewing jerky can lead to a chipped or broken tooth. Adding insult to injury, the meat can also get lodged between teeth and thus irritate your gums.
As you can see, foods can harm teeth with more than just pigments, sugars, and bacteria. That being the case, be careful of those listed above so your smile doesn’t chip!
About the Practice
Distinguished Dental is based in Fort Worth, TX. As led by Dr. Sheri McIntosh, our practice strives to give patients the personalized care they deserve. To that end, we offer customized preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, not to mention emergency dental procedures. The Distinguished Dental team is also a certified provider of SureSmile and Six Month Smiles orthodontics. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (817)-337-8300.