Your teeth are designed to withstand biting, tearing, and grinding the foods that you eat. However, under high levels of pressure, your durable teeth might chip, crack, or fracture. This tooth breakage creates a vulnerable point where oral bacteria could cause an infection and wreak other havoc on your dental health.
Certain foods could have a high likelihood of cracking a tooth. You can avoid this dental injury and protect the look and feel of your smile when you know more about this potential danger. Check out these four foods that could threaten to break your teeth if you are not careful.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a popular, fun snack made from corn kernels heated in oil until the soft inside pops into the fluffy food many people love. But the light texture can hide a hard unpopped kernel in a bowl. If you bite on one of these kernels, you could accidentally crack your tooth.
If this happens, not only will your tooth suffer aesthetic damage. The injury will worsen without prompt dental attention, and you could suffer serious oral health problems. If you break a tooth, seek emergency treatment from your dentist. And pay attention when eating popcorn to avoid this dental injury in the first place.
Bagels
You make a delicious sandwich using a bagel that will suit any time of day. But you might not realize that bagels have a dense texture that may break your teeth if you bite into them too harshly.
Take care while eating bagels so that you do not injure your teeth. If you do crack a tooth, sometimes a dentist can amend minor breakage with cosmetic dental solutions. More severe injuries may require a dental crown to fix the problem.
The dentist can cover the damaged tooth with a ceramic cap and seal it into place with special cement. This restores the tooth’s structure, appearance, and health. But ideally, you should preserve the natural shape of your tooth, so seek preventive measures for your smile.
Hard Candy
Hard candy is made from a boiled sugary mixture that solidifies as it cools into a beloved sweet treat. They are designed to be sucked until the treat dissolves in the mouth, but many people feel tempted to bite on this candy before that point. However, doing so could result in serious dental damage, including a broken tooth.
Avoid this candy if you think that you cannot resist biting down on it. Added sugar can also prove harmful to your dental health. Ask your dentist about other foods that pose less of a threat to your smile.
Corn on the Cob
Corn kernels grow naturally on a cob, and it can be fun to consume corn directly from this cob. But our teeth cannot easily handle the pressure of biting into a hard corn cob. It could put you in danger of cracking or fracturing a tooth.
Try to eat corn off of its cob when possible. But if you do consume corn on the cob, be careful as you bite so that you do not suffer a serious injury.