Blog

Everyone knows that good oral hygiene, regular dental visits, and a healthy lifestyle can help you avoid dental problems and complications. However, it may surprise you to learn some of your favorite snacks can accidentally break, crack, or chip your teeth – and at the worst possible moments. Luckily, you can avoid these accidents by being careful around foods that can cost you a trip to your emergency dentist. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of foods that can chip teeth. Continue reading to learn more!

Popcorn

Popcorn itself doesn’t pose a threat to your dental health, but the unpopped kernels do. While munching away at your bucket of popcorn during a movie, you can easily damage your pearly whites if you’re not careful. Biting down on an unpopped kernel can result in a cracked, broken, or bruised tooth, making it painful to chew. When that happens, you risk exposing the nerve of your tooth, increasing your risk of needing a root canal. To prevent these accidents from occurring, eat your popcorn slowly, grabbing only a few pieces at a time.

Nuts

Nuts are certainly a tasty and nutritious snack, but they can result in a dental emergency if you’re not careful. Avoid using your teeth to crack open shelled nuts (like peanuts, sunflower seeds, and pistachios) because it can lead to dental problems. Over time, this habit can wear down the edges of your teeth and make them more susceptible to chipping or breaking.

Hard Candy

Hard candies are some of the worst types of treats for your pearly whites. Sweets like lollipops and jawbreakers can harm your teeth if you chew them before the candy has a chance to dissolve in your mouth. Of course, because hard candy is meant to be savored instead of chewed, biting it can result in a chipped or cracked tooth.

Ice

Do you like to chew on leftover ice after finishing a cool drink? Plenty of people do. Unfortunately, this seemingly harmless habit can damage your teeth by causing cracks and leading to increased sensitivity. Instead of munching on ice cubes, let them slowly melt in your mouth. You can enjoy the cooling sensation for much longer without putting your teeth at risk. If that doesn’t satisfy your craving, opt for a slushie or snow cone! The freshly shaven, semi-melted pieces of ice will not harm your smile like ice cubes.

Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob is a summertime staple that can be found at any backyard BBQ. Sadly, this buttery delight can harm the edges of your teeth if you bite directly into the cob to enjoy the kernels. Because our teeth aren’t designed to bite and grind into corn cob, doing so can easily damage your teeth, leaving you with a jagged tooth and smile. Keep your pearly whites safe by removing the kernels off the cob beforehand to prevent any accidents.

Hopefully, this list has increased your awareness of the impact common foods can have on your teeth. The good news is you don’t have to completely forego these snacks – simply be more careful while eating them to avoid a trip to your emergency dentist!