Can strawberries damage your teeth?
This blogpost will answer the question Can strawberries damage your teeth? And will include the following topics: Do strawberries whiten teeth?Will a strawberry and baking soda mixture work for teeth whitening?Risks of using strawberries as a teeth whitener
Top 3 Fruits for Teeth. 5 tips on how you can protect your teeth and still gain all the benefits from eating your fruit. 10 surprising foods that are good for your teeth
Remember: Limit Citrus & Rinse with Water
The Worst Foods for Your Teeth
Can strawberries damage your teeth?
Yes, strawberries can damage your teeth when consumed in excess.
Strawberries are acidic, and eating acidic foods and drinks on a frequent basis can cause tooth erosion, in which the protective layer of enamel on the teeth wears away. Tooth enamel does not regrow once it has been gone. Enamel erosion can result in a variety of dental issues, including tooth sensitivity, discolouration, cracking, and even tooth loss.
Do strawberries whiten teeth?
Strawberries have properties that suggest they might be useful as a teeth-whitening agent.
Citric acid, which is found in ripe strawberries, may help whiten teeth when applied to them. Citric acid, on the other hand, is known to promote the demineralization of the teeth. In other words, this form of acid eats away at your tooth enamel, negating any whitening benefits.
Malic acid, which is also found in apples, is found in strawberries. Malic acid is a natural whitener for enamel.
But there’s a catch: strawberries don’t contain any chemicals that can help whiten your teeth by eliminating stains.
Because your teeth are cleaned clear of plaque and sparkling, rubbing strawberries on your teeth may provide the illusion of whiter teeth for an hour or two.
However, the impact is just temporary. So teeth will soon be restored to the way they were before you used strawberries.
Will a strawberry and baking soda mixture work for teeth whitening?
Making a toothpaste with strawberries and baking soda to whiten your teeth is unlikely to perform as well as you may think.
Baking soda has natural whitening characteristics and can help eliminate plaque from your teeth. However, combining mashed strawberries with baking soda would most likely result in a sticky paste that leaves sugar on your teeth, negating the advantages of baking soda.
Risks of using strawberries as a teeth whitener
Using strawberries as a teeth whitener poses risks.
Cavities
Strawberries are tasty for a reason: they’re naturally sweet. Of course, the sugar in strawberries isn’t the same as the white cane sugar commonly found in processed foods.
Fruit sugar, on the other hand, eats away at the enamel of your teeth. Putting strawberry juice on your teeth, similar to putting white sugar on your teeth, may raise your risk of cavities.
Loss of tooth enamel
Fruit is a terrific dietary choice, but saturating your teeth with fruit acids isn’t, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). If you expose your teeth to any form of acid for an extended period of time, it might destroy your enamel.
Tooth enamel is the toughest material in your body, but it can’t be restored once it’s gone. Furthermore, brushing your teeth with strawberries means you’re not using fluoride toothpaste, which is necessary for enamel preservation.
Top 3 Fruits for Teeth
Apples
Apples are called nature’s toothbrush, and are a tasty nutritious snack because they are fibrous. But you should always eat the whole fruit to get these benefits. Avoid apple juices because they have added sugar which can lead to tooth decay and cavities, while a fresh whole apple can stimulate your gums and reduce cavities- causing bacteria to build up in your mouth.
Kiwi
Kiwi is often seen as a citrus fruit, but it is actually a berry. Kiwis have fibrous content, and are packed with calcium, which is very good for your dental health. Calcium neutralizes the damaging acids and also helps strengthen enamel’s defense.
Strawberries
Strawberries are fibrous berries, which are great for teeth and gums. Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, which helps your body produce collagen that is a vital protein for maintaining gums’ strength. A half cup of strawberries – between 4 and 6 berries – will give you about 70% of your daily requirement of vitamin C.Strawberries also contain malic acid, which is actually a good natural whitener for enamel.
5 tips on how you can protect your teeth and still gain all the benefits from eating your fruit
Eat smart
Eat the strawberries with low-acid and low-sugar foods such as spinach, bananas, apples, almonds, and dairy products. Soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and wine are all rich in acidity, so avoid them.
Take breaks between eating
Don’t eat at irregular intervals throughout the day. It allows your saliva time to neutralise the acid and restore your tooth enamel if you wait a couple of hours between meals.
Rinse your mouth with water after eating – Rinsing your mouth with water after eating causes the acid to be neutralised.
Wait before brushing your teeth
Yes, take your time! The abrasives in toothpaste could possibly cause more harm to your teeth’s enamel. Brush your teeth at least 30 minutes after eating or drinking anything acidic.
Floss
Strawberries have 200 seeds on average, and we all know how annoying it is when they get lodged in our teeth! To help avoid cavities between your teeth, floss at least once each day.
Eat cheese
Eating cheese after you eat fruit increases the pH levels in your mouth and saliva. This helps to neutralise the acid and restore the enamel on your teeth.
Surprising foods that are good for your teeth
We all know how to maintain our teeth healthy: brush twice a day, floss once a day, and limit our sugar intake.However some foods can also help you keep a healthy mouth, and while no food can ever replace brushing, there are several that are surprisingly good for your teeth.
Chewing gum
Chewing gum, on the other hand, is healthy for your teeth, as many adverts claim, as long as it is sugar-free. This is due to the fact that chewing increases saliva production, which aids in the removal of toxic acids. Additionally, it improves the odour of your breath.
Salmon
Vitamin D is necessary for optimum dental health because it enables your body to absorb calcium more effectively and put it to good use throughout your body. Salmon is high in both Vitamin D and calcium, making it an all-around superfood for keeping teeth and gums healthy.
Carrots
Carrots have long been advocated as a cavity-fighting food, since eating crisp, raw carrot sticks functions as a natural toothbrush. The chewing movement massages your gums, and this vibrant vegetable is high in plaque-attacking keratin as well as Vitamin A, which is essential for dental enamel strength. Overall, it’s a nice choice for a snack in between meals.
Cheese
Cheese is excellent for your dental health. It contains high quantities of phosphate and calcium, which naturally build teeth and bones, as well as helping to maintain the pH in your mouth, which means less damaging acid, more cleansing saliva, and fewer cavities.
Yoghurt
Unsweetened natural yoghurt makes a great healthy breakfast or snack. For the benefit of your teeth, yoghurt contains both casein and calcium, which strengthen enamel and help repair it if it happens to be damaged.
Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds, whether eaten alone or baked into bread, can aid you in two ways. First, they tend to clean plaque from your teeth while you chew, and they’re also heavy in calcium. Just be sure to get any seeds trapped between your teeth out as quickly as possible.
Onions
Raw onion is incredibly healthy for you, and as an added bonus, the antibacterial sulphur compounds contained in an onion will kill the harmful bacteria on your teeth. But you might want to chew gum afterwards!
Celery
Celery is an excellent way to keep your teeth in shape. Chewing celery cleans your teeth and massages your gums at the same time, and all that chewing produces lots of saliva to neutralise bacteria.
Remember: Limit Citrus & Rinse with Water
Citric acid-rich foods and beverages erode tooth enamel, a process known as demineralization. In severe cases of demineralization, acid will make its way to the dentin, a soft layer beneath the enamel. Advanced cases result in tooth sensitivity and pain. Hence after you consume anything with a high citric acid content, rinse with water for 30 seconds afterward to remove any remaining acid.
The Worst Foods for Your Teeth
Sticky candies and sweets.
After eating sweets or candies, it is necessary to brush your teeth or atleast rinse your mouth with water. The sticky candies like lollipops, caramels, and cough drops have refined sugar which stays on teeth for a longer time, hence promoting tooth decay and cavities. Chocolates can also get stuck on tooth surfaces for long durations, but when compared with candies they are much better as they can be removed easily from the tooth surface.
Starchy foods
Starchy foods can get stuck in your mouth. Soft breads and potato chips, for instance, can get trapped between your teeth.
Carbonated soft drinks.
Carbonated soft drinks are packed with added sugar and are very popular among kids and teens. And most soft drinks have phosphoric and citric acids that wear away tooth enamel. These include cold drinks., sodas, energy drinks and even packed fruit juices.
Substances that dry out your mouth.
Some substances such as alcohol and many medicines cause dry mouth. Decreased salivary secretion can become a major cause of developing tooth decay. If you have been taking some medication that causes dry mouth and fear of developing cavities, try talking to your dentist. He might give some solutions like getting a fluoride rinse, or a fluoride gel for brushing your teeth.
Pickles
The pickling process requires acid (usually given by vinegar). It’s what gives pickles their sour, salty flavor—and it’s also what makes them a possible dental threat. Pickles were the solid food most closely connected to tooth wear in a 2004 study of the eating patterns of English teens. If you ate them more than thrice a day, your chances of wearing them out climbed by roughly 85%.
Crackers
Saltines and many other types of crackers contain refined carbohydrates, which quickly convert to sugar in the mouth and provide food for cavity-causing bacteria. When crackers are chewed, they get mushy and turn into a paste-like goop that accumulates in your molars and lodges between teeth.
If you consume crackers regularly, you should be concerned, but if you eat them in moderation, you shouldn’t have any long-term problems—”as long as you brush and floss well.”
Frequently asked questions (FAQS)
Do strawberries cause tooth decay?
Yes, strawberries can cause tooth decay. Strawberries are acidic in nature and when consumed frequently they can cause wear down the enamel, hence making the tooth vulnerable to cavities.
Do I need to brush my teeth after eating strawberries?
Yes, you should brush your teeth after eating strawberries. Strawberries are acidic in nature and the longer acid lingers on the tooth the more are chances of decay. But one should remember not to brush immediately after eating acidic food and should wait for at least 30mins.
Can fruit mess up your teeth?
Yes, fruits can mess up your teeth. Fruits that have a high acidic content can harm your teeth and cause erosion.
What foods clean your teeth?
Fruits like carrots, apples, celery are crunchy in texture and help remove the accumulated plaque from the teeth.
How can I rebuild my enamel naturally?
No, you cannot rebuild enamel naturally. Once enamel wears down it cannot regrow.