How Your Summer Eating Habits and Diet May Be Affecting Your Teeth

Smart, Easy Ways to Avoid Cavities This Summer

Summer is a time of playing, relaxing, and feasting. We all look forward to picnics full of sweet treats, cold drinks, and classic summer foods. However, all of that summertime munching can also put our teeth at risk if we're not careful. Here at Anastasia Dental Associates, we want to help you balance the fun of summer with the need to keep up with cavity prevention. Here's a look at how your summertime food habits could affect your smile.

Summer Foods That Are Great for Your Teeth

There are many summertime foods that support good oral health. Here's a look at our favorites:

• Fresh Fruits and Cut Vegetables: Crunchy foods like celery sticks, cucumber slices, carrot sticks, and sliced apples are naturally great for your teeth because they help to stimulate saliva which neutralizes acids and clears out plaque-causing bacteria.
• Yogurt and Cheeses: These low-sugar, picnic-friendly favorites are brimming with calcium and phosphate that fortify tooth enamel.
• Watermelon: Sweet, hydrating watermelon is full of water that promotes the flow of saliva. Like drinking water, munching on watermelon can help to flush food particles from the mouth.

Summer Foods That Aren't the Best for Your Teeth

Here's a look at some popular summer foods that should be enjoyed in moderation:

• Ice Cream and Ice Pops: While delicious and refreshing, frozen treats are often full of sugar that feeds cavity-causing bacteria. One recommendation for reducing the negative effects of sweet treats is to rinse your mouth with water and wait at least 30 minutes after eating to brush.
• Sports Drinks, Sodas, Sweet Tea, Lemonade, and Sugary Drinks: The combination of sugar and acid in popular summertime drinks can cause decay if you're sipping all day. Save these for special occasions instead.
• BBQ Sauces: This one might surprise you. Yes, most sauces are actually filled with sugars that can attach to your teeth. To protect your teeth, rinse with water after a BBQ meal this summer.

Easy Ways to Protect Your Healthy Smile This Summer

We also want to share some smart hacks for keeping your teeth in the best shape possible this summer. Small choices can add up to a full summer of sparkling oral health. Here's a look at our favorite tips:

• Fill up with nuts, cheese, and fresh fruits instead of chips or cookies when it's time to snack.
• Carry a water bottle at all times to keep your mouth fresh and hydrated.
• While school may be out, oral hygiene 101 is still in session! Keep up with brushing and flossing twice daily all summer long.
• While ice may feel cool and refreshing in the summer, resist the urge to munch on it on hot days. Ice's hardness can easily crack your teeth.
• Don't forget to schedule your summer cleaning! While travel and busy schedules can make it easy for time to get away from you, your oral health never takes a vacation.

A "healthy smile summer" is all about balancing the fun times with consistent, smart practices. By simply swapping out sugary foods for more balanced foods that neutralize acid, you can avoid a summer slump into cavity land. Let's make sure you fit in a cleaning before fall! Call our office at (904) 209-9589 or visit today to get your appointment scheduled.