Worst Foods for Your Teeth: 6 Foods That Cause Cavities

As you might guess, sugary, rock-hard candies you suck on for a long time, or break down into pieces with your teeth, put a serious dent in enamel and endanger the health of your mouth. Candies are loaded with sugar that sticks to the teeth and takes a long time to dissolve, exposing the gums and teeth to the damaging sugar.

Juice, sports drinks and all sodas (including diet) are packed with sugar and acid, which is bad news for your teeth. If you want to drink something other than water, look for brands that have no added sugars or try adding a bit of fruit or vegetable, such as watermelon or cucumber, to plain old water to get refreshing flavor that’s less damaging. Also consider diluting juice with water to make it less harmful to your teeth.

This treat, or any other sweet that is made with a lot of sugar, is problematic for your teeth. Sticky sweets are the worst teeth offenders, and even dried fruit, such as dried apricots, can be a nuisance to tooth enamel. Foods that easily adhere to teeth and get jammed between the gum and the tooth allow sugars to attack enamel and are hard to wash away. Limit your sweets, and when you do indulge, try to brush after to minimize the damage. Also remember to rinse twice daily with LISTERINE® mouthwash.

Starchy foods, such as pasta, rice and even potatoes, harm the teeth because they metabolize into sugars that produce acid that wears away tooth enamel.

Chewing on ice and other hard substances can potentially crack your enamel, exposing your teeth. Other harmful habits involving your mouth, like opening bottles and bags of chips with your teeth, should also be avoided.

In addition to possibly cracking your enamel, chewing on hard nuts can also damage dental implants, dentures and braces. Try eating smaller nut pieces instead of whole nuts if the nuts are particularly hard, or eat nuts ground up in butters and spreads, such as in cashew butter.