Your oral health is affected by more than just the way you brush your teeth. Brushing and flossing are both important, but they are not the only actions that impact the condition of your smile. You can have a harder time avoiding dental problems when you stop attending regular dental exams, or if you fail to control your sugar intake. Is caffeine consumption another issue that can affect your oral hygiene? If you frequently drink caffeinated beverages and enjoy too little water, you can have a harder time with natural cavity prevention due to dehydration and dry mouth. You can also put your teeth at risk by drinking beverages that are both caffeinated and high in sugar. At your next routine dental appointment with your Ankeny, IA dentist’s office, you can discuss your habits, and what changes you could make to better protect yourself against dental problems.
Your Beverage Choices And Your Oral Health
Generally speaking, the choices you make regarding what you eat and drink impact how likely you are to suffer cavities. Many people are aware that consuming too much sugar raises their risk for experiencing dental decay that calls for restorative dental work. You should be aware that acidic foods and drinks also contribute to your risks, as they can soften enamel and make cavities easier to form. Many beverages with caffeine, like coffee and soda, are acidic. The particles that give these drinks their darker color can also raise cosmetic concerns, as they can cause stains to form and dull your enamel.
Have You Struggled To Prevent Cavities?
Changing your diet by reducing your caffeine intake can help you protect your smile. Caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea can affect your saliva production, which means you have a harder time naturally fighting the bacteria that gather and affect your oral health. Soft drinks and energy drinks provide more food for those bacteria, which produce acids as part of their digestive process that harm your teeth. While a change in your caffeine intake can help, look out for other issues that might interfere with your well-being. Make sure that you brush at least two times a day and floss at least once to keep your teeth clean, stay hydrated by drinking water, and take care to stay consistent with dental exams.
Caffeinated Drinks Can Stain Your Enamel
You can understandably worry about the appearance of your teeth as well as their health. Dark liquids and dark or color-rich foods can leave behind stains that worsen over time and dull your smile. If you want to see real improvements, discuss professional teeth whitening treatment with your dentist! The whitening agents available through our practice can offer more noticeable results than those that you can pick up at your local store.
Your Ankeny, IA Dentist Can Help You Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office is prepared to help patients develop and maintain good oral health habits. If you have concerns about your current cavity risk, or if there are any other issues that we can assist with, contact Dental Impressions at (515) 965-0230 to schedule a visit.
