Acidic Foods Cause Many Dental Problems – Know When to Brush

Acidic foods can cause a plethora of dental problems because acid slowly eats away at the enamel on the surface of your teeth, ultimately causing decay and additional dental difficulties.  While most people are aware of the dangers eating sugar presents to your teeth, it seems that less folks know how to handle consumption of acidic foods.

Many highly acidic foods are also nutritious elements of our everyday diet, so it is important to be aware of some of the common foods that cause increase the level of acid in our mouths, including  blueberries, cherries, cranberries, grapes, lemons, limes, pineapples, strawberries, fruit jellies, pickles, salad dressings, yogurt, American cheese, cottage cheese, apples, bananas, apple juice, energy drinks and soda.

Problems caused by excessive acid in your mouth include wear and tear of tooth enamel, resulting tooth decay, yellowing or discoloration and tooth sensitivity. 

In order to minimize the acid in your mouth, it is important to brush and floss your teeth.  However, unlike when you sugary foods, after acidic foods you need to wait at least an hour before brushing your teeth because your tooth enamel remains soft.  You can actually cause additional wear and tear to your tooth enamel by immediately brushing after acidic foods.

Be aware of your consumption of acidic foods so you can brush properly afterwards and try to avoid unnecessary acidic foods such as soda.  By minimizing the impact of acidic foods on your teeth, you can decrease the possibility of tooth decay.