Ann-Marie Banks, from Apollonia House Dental and Health Care in Grasscroft, offers some advice about foods that can cause decay.
Please feel free to call Apollonia House Dental and Health on 01457 821800 or email info@apolloniahouse.com for any dental questions or concerns you have. You can also visit their website.
ALL SUGARS ingredients ending in ‘ose’ are sugars, for example: sucrose, fructose and glucose.
Many processed foods have sugar in them, and the higher up it appears in the list of ingredients, the more sugar there is. Always read the list of ingredients on the labels when you are food shopping.
And remember ‘no added sugar’ does not necessarily mean the product is sugar free. These products may contain sugars such as those listed above, or the sugars may be listed as ‘carbohydrates’. Ask your dental team if you are not sure.
Acidic food and drinks can cause erosion, which is the gradual dissolving of the tooth enamel. Listed below are the ‘pH values’ of some food and drinks. The lower the pH number, the more acidic the product. Anything with a pH value lower than 5.5 may cause erosion. ‘Alkalis’ have a high pH number and cancel out the acid effects of sugars. pH 7 is the middle figure between acid and alkali.
- mineral water (still) pH 7.6
- milk pH 6.9
- cheddar cheese pH 5.9
- lager pH 4.4
- orange juice pH 3.8
- grapefruit pH 3.3
- pickles pH 3.2
- cola pH 2.5
- red wine pH 2.5
- vinegar pH 2.0
It is better for your teeth and general health if you eat three meals a day instead of having seven to ten snacks.
If you do need to snack, choose foods that do not contain sugar. Fruit does contain acids, which can erode your teeth. However, this is only damaging if you eat an unusually large amount. Try not to have a lot of dried fruit as it is high in sugar and can stick to your teeth.
If you do eat fruit as a snack, try to eat something alkaline such as cheese afterwards. Savoury snacks are better, such as, cheese, raw vegetables, nuts or breadsticks.
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