Healthy Summer Foods That May Take a Bite Out Your Smile
Summer is here! The summer is time for families and friends to gather and have fun outside. Also, it’s a time to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. While we are taught that these are healthier and helps to keep the doctor away, it does not necessarily help keep the dentist away! Why? Read on to find out…
Fresh fruits
Many of us may enjoy the bountiful harvest of fresh watermelon, apples, tomatoes, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew, peaches, plums, and nectarines. A mixture of fruits from various sources may contribute to a healthier body. However, fruits contain acetic acid, ascorbic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, oxalic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid and tartaric acids. While acids are necessary for digestion and other body reactions, they can be harmful to your smile.
Fresh vegetables
Some summer vegetables may include tomatoes, olives, green, yellow, and red peppers, pickles, beats, radishes, celery, carrots, potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, eggplant, cauliflower, peas, corn, beans, etc. A variety of fresh vegetables can supply added nutrition for a healthy body. But, vegetables may contain citric, malic, tartaric, fumaric, phosphoric and hydrochloric acids. And we know that acids can damage the mouth.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are very good source of vitamins and minerals. They can supply vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, K, niacin, and riboflavin. Fruits can also provide the body nourishment with minerals such as Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium, Selenium, Sodium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Zinc and Manganese.
While fruits and vegetables can be a great source of nutrients to sustain life, they can be very harmful to the mouth. As discussed previously, when the pH of the mouth drops below 5.5, acids can permanently damage teeth, gums and bone. And it only takes 7 minutes for it to start happening.
The summer foods of fruits and vegetables may contain acids that attack the mouth. Ouch! That’s why we are prone to dental diseases such as cavities and periodontal disease. The acids can cause tooth loss, gum loss, and bone loss in the mouth. The acids can eat away the edges of dental work such as fillings, veneers, crowns, dentures, and dental implants. It may require the dental work be repaired or replaced (and its not your dentist’s fault). The acids in the fruits and vegetables are to blame. Let’s consider how this happens:
Acids = Damage to Your Smile = Damage to Your Wallet
Now, I do not suggest that you stop eating fruits and vegetables. I love to eat them too!!! I just want you to understand how ingesting these foods may impact the health of your smile. This knowledge may save you thousands of dollars in dental work.
It’s my recommendation that you rinse with water for 7 seconds, within a 7-minute window after eating these summer foods. If you don’t, your smile may suffer greatly. Rinsing with water will help buffer the acids and neutralize the imbalance in the mouth. Enjoy the foods of summer, but remember the keep your mouth healthy too.