Summer is here! Time to tuck your winter coats back into the corners of your wardrobe and put on your beach slippers. But don’t let summer lower your guard against dental problems. Some of your favorite summer refreshments might not actually be good for your teeth.
Best Summer Foods and Drinks for Teeth
Here are some of the most tooth-friendly foods and drinks for your teeth this summer:
1. Water
Whether tap or from a bottle, water is the best drink to keep you hydrated and your teeth healthy. It doesn’t have any sugar or acids that can harm your tooth, and it flushes bacteria, food particles, and sugars from your mouth, keeping it healthy. It also has fluoride that can strengthen your teeth and prevent cavities.
2. Low-Sugar Green Juice
Celery, cucumber, spinach, and kale are popular green-juice ingredients loaded with calcium and Vitamin B that help improve oral health. It’s best to avoid store-bought green juices sweetened with fruit juices that may damage your teeth. Check their labels and look at their sugar content if they’re your only alternative, or better yet, make your own using apples and carrots to sweeten them.
3. Berry Milkshakes
The ingredients of berry milkshakes are some of the best foods good for teeth. Berries are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and yogurt is full of calcium, great for keeping bones and teeth strong and healthy.
4. Iced Green Tea
Include iced and unsweetened green tea to your list of top summer refreshments. It’s great for a caffeine boost and is full of flavonoids, antioxidants, and catechins that reduce inflammation and kills bacteria, making it great for reducing the risk of mouth infections and improving oral health.
Use xylitol or liquid stevia if you want your green tea sweet; they are teeth-friendly sweeteners that are also good for your teeth.
5. Yogurt Parfait
Forget ice cream; eat yogurt parfaits instead. Mixing fruits with yogurt lowers their acidity, making them healthy alternatives to sweets.
6. Watermelon
Watermelons are one of the best healthy alternatives to sweets to munch on this summer. They don’t have lots of calories, and they’re full of natural juices that are sweet and refreshing. They also don’t stain teeth and are a thousand times less acidic than lime or lemon juice.
7. Strawberries and Dark Chocolate
Strawberries and dark chocolate are delicious and tooth-friendly foods. These can satisfy your chocolate cravings and keep your teeth safe from damage. Strawberries are also one of many foods good for teeth because of their antioxidant and Vitamin C content. They also have malic acid that helps whiten teeth.
8. Light Beer
Alcoholic drinks are generally not good for your teeth, but light beers are a safe choice than others. These summer refreshments don’t have lots of tannins like cheap beers, and they don’t have lots of sugar and acids as other alcoholic drinks.
Worst Summer Foods and Drinks
Unfortunately, most of these all-time favorite refreshments are not so great for your teeth:
1. Iced Coffee or Frappes
It’s a good thing most people enjoy these drinks through a straw; it minimizes the damage enamel experience. However, they are not really protected from the dangers of ice, coffee, sweet milk, and whip cream. They can dry out your tongue and mouth, which can cause bad breath and keep saliva from protecting your teeth from cavities. They can also stain your teeth.
2. Soda
Sodas are the worst drinks for your teeth ever. Their high sugar content is not the only thing in them that is harmful to your teeth. It’s also acidic. Diet sodas are no exception.
3. Chips
A summer barbecue can’t do without chips, but your teeth can. They are not foods good for teeth because they can get stuck between teeth, and their starch content also feeds the bacteria in your mouth that can cause cavities.
4. Wine
Wines might be refreshing, but they aren’t teeth-friendly summer refreshments. Red wines have lots of tannins that can stain your teeth, and white wines are more acidic. Not good news if you have problems with your enamel. Sparkling wines aren’t safe either; their acidity and carbonation also harm enamel.
5. Sports Drinks
Summer is also the time for playing sports outside or doing yard work. Sports drinks are another popular drink to freshen up, but they’re one of the worst drinks for your teeth this summer. They’re full of harmful sugar to your oral health, and increase the sugars in your bloodstream, which can lead to dehydration.
6. Popsicles, Freezies, and Ice Cream
Ice cream, popsicles, and freezies are not healthy snacks for teeth. They are full of sugar, and eating them puts your teeth constantly in contact with these sugars. They’re also not great for those with sensitive teeth.
7. Lemonade
Lemonade is a popular summer drink; however, it’s not great for your teeth. Its high acidity can damage your teeth’s enamel, and it has lots of sugars that can feed the bacteria in your mouth and produce more acids that can cause tooth decay and cavities.
8. Sweet Iced Tea
Sweet iced teas are usually made of black tea full of tannins that can stain your teeth. They’re also full of sugars that promote cavity development.
Tips To Keep Teeth Healthy In Summer
Avoiding harmful foods and drinks for your teeth is ideal but not realistic. If you really must indulge yourself, here are some tips you can try to reduce the damage of these delicious but staining, acidic, and sugar-pumped delicacies:
- Drink slowly.
- Use a straw to protect your teeth from staining and exposure.
- Drink or rinse with water after eating or drinking these refreshments.
- Brush your teeth 20 minutes after consuming an acidic drink.
Keep Your Teeth Healthy This Summer with Advanced Dental Group
Our affiliate dentists in Arvada, CO, are the best people to ask for recommendations for some healthy alternatives to sweets and other tips to keep your teeth healthy for all seasons. Call us today, and we’ll connect them to you as soon as possible.
