For being coated by the hardest substance in the body, teeth sure find a way to be vulnerable, don’t they? From cavities to unsightly chips, it seems there are endless threats lurking in your kitchen cabinets just waiting to turn 
your pearly whites into damaged goods.
While it’s true that teeth are often damaged in totally unavoidable ways, there are certain steps you can take to limit the avoidable harm your teeth experience. Regular visits to your dentist and proper oral hygiene routines can go a long way toward keeping your teeth happy and healthy, for example.
Another key precaution you can take when it comes to keeping your smile bright is simply being aware of what foods have the potential to damage your teeth. To jumpstart your tooth protection program, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to point out five foods that can damage your teeth. Read on to discover what they are!
Ice
No, we’re not talking about diamonds (though you shouldn’t eat those, either). Instead, we’re talking about those tempting, unassuming blocks of frozen water in your cup. While it may seem harmless, ice is a very hard substance, and as such, it can damage your enamel—or worse.
It’s not unusual for dental emergencies such as broken, chipped, or cracked teeth to result from chewing this seemingly innocent substance!
Candies
We know what you’re thinking, and yes, candies are not the best choice because they are LOADED with sugar. There’s actually more to it than this, though, which is bad news for your teeth! Hard candies suffer from the same downfall as ice—they can cause chipping, cracking, and other such issues—but what about other types of candy?
Sour candies are sour for a reason—they contain acids that give them that taste sensation. Unfortunately, those same delicious pucker-causing acids are really bad for your teeth! Even worse is when candies, sour or not, are sticky. They remain in your mouth longer than quickly chewed alternatives, allowing them to wreak further havoc on your teeth!
Bread
A staple of many diets, bread can actually harm your teeth. The starch in bread breaks down into sugar when saliva is involved, and we all know that sugars are tough on your enamel. Now, factor in the transformation bread undergoes when you chew it—it becomes kind of gummy and sticks in your teeth, right? That’s two strikes against refined bread!
Soda
Whether soda qualifies as food or not is another debate. No matter how you classify them, sodas (and other carbonated beverages) are bad for your teeth. They tend to highly acidic, which is extremely rough on your teeth, especially if you sip them throughout the day. Even if your soda of choice doesn’t contain sugar, it is still damaging your teeth.
Citrus
Fruits are healthy, right? Of course, they are, but they also contain natural sugars that can be damaging to teeth. You should still enjoy fruits, but be cautious, especially when it comes to citrus fruits, which contain acid as well as sugar. These two paired together are a recipe for tooth damage!
If you have questions about the foods on this list or are curious about other damaging foods, feel free to reach out to your dentist. They’d be happy to give you some pointers, check on your chompers, and help you fix existing issues while setting you up for a healthier future!