It is a popular belief that junk food is associated with health problems. Doctors suggest that junk food is directly responsible for heart diseases. However, it does much more than that.
Believe it or not, your dental health too, affected by junk food. You may ask, “How does it affect my mouth if I brush and floss regularly?”
The answer is, brushing and flossing are not enough to prevent the reactions that are brought about by junk food. Furthermore, brushing and flossing do not perfectly clear your mouth; they only help you in maintaining your dental hygiene.
Almost every junk food item that you consume regularly, has an oral health issue associated with it. Read the following sections in the article to find out how junk food affects your dental health.
Starch is bad for your teeth!
That burger you had last week with some french fries, and the large pizza you crave to have; what’s common in them? Yes, they’re all delicious! Unfortunately for your teeth, one more thing that is common in them is the starch content!
Starch tends to stick to the teeth, and stay there for a long time. If you do not brush or floss adequately after having fast food, these food particles settle there.
What this means is a feast for bacteria in your mouth. This bacterial concentration leads to infection, and eventually, tooth decay. Bacterial settlement in your teeth also forms plaque and tartar, which give way to gum disease (gingivitis). Now, do you still crave that pizza?
Dry fruits have added sugar!
Dry fruits, unlike fresh fruits, have added sugar in them. Sugar is bad for your teeth. This is because it works like a bacteria magnet! Fruits already have a certain level of sugar content, and hence, the added amount does more harm than it should if you have fresh fruits.
The same is the case with candies of any sort. Preservatives and added sugar are found in large quantities in candies, which could be dangerous for your teeth.
Carbonated drinks damage the enamel
Carbonated beverages like soda pops are harmful to your teeth, since they cause damage to the enamel. If you guessed that this is because of the high sugar content in them, then good job. However, you are only partially correct.
Carbonated beverages are highly acidic in nature. In simple terms, they play a role in eroding and wearing down the enamel. This makes the teeth prone to erosion, as well as decay.
The added sugar and salt in (almost) every fast food item
The major thing that fast food companies are concerned about is to deliver the best-tasting food to you. To serve this purpose, hardly any of them hesitates in putting salt and sugar indiscriminately, until the food tastes perfect. As per an article posted by Dentistry Today, this added sugar and salt too, make food stick to your teeth, which in turn leads to tooth decay and cavities! “The primary reason why fast food is so bad for oral health is the added salt and sugar found in it. When your patients eat these foods, debris is more likely to stick to their teeth. This food debris allows acids to build up along the surface of their teeth. Eventually, this causes tooth decay and cavities.”
To your delight, fast food is not really harmful when its consumption is kept under control. Complications only arise when they are consumed too often. The relation between its consumption and deteriorating oral health is right in front of you. The question that remains is, do you want to put a dent on your beautiful smile?