Nice Teeth Aren’t An Accident

Posted on: 29 June 2016

There are a few ways that eating barbecue can damage your teeth, however, by practicing good oral hygiene, you can avoid a lot of the dental problems that can occur as the result of barbecue. Knowing how barbecue can damage your teeth and what you can do to prevent a problem from occurring is important for maintaining your dental hygiene.

How can barbecue damage your teeth?

Barbecue can damage your teeth in the following ways:

• Barbecue sauce stains teeth. Because it is dark colored and sticky, barbecue sauce can stick to your tooth enamel and stain your teeth pretty badly.
• Stringy meats can get caught in your teeth. Stringy meats like ribs are traditional barbecue fair. Unfortunately, these foods can easily get caught in your teeth, which can create a layer of food buildup on your tooth enamel. This food buildup can hold the barbecue sauce against your tooth enamel, and can also turn into plaque if not removed promptly when you brush your teeth.
• Stringy meats aren't the only barbecue foods that get caught in teeth. There are many foods you eat during barbecues, corn on the cob for example, that can get caught in your teeth and contribute to plaque buildup.

What can you do to protect your teeth from barbecue food?

There are many things you can do to protect your teeth when eating barbecue food. Below are just a few ways:

• Brush your teeth before eating. Brushing your teeth before eating can help your teeth become slick and clean, which makes it harder for food to stick to your tooth enamel. If you go to the homes of friends for barbecue quite a bit, keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in your car to make it handy to brush right before your meal.
• Swish with sparkling water during the meal. Swishing with sparkling water during the meal will help wash away any food particles that might get stuck to your teeth as you eat.
• Chew sugarless gum afterward. Chewing gum can clean your teeth almost as well as brushing. Keep chewing gum on hand for after eating barbecue.
• See your dentist on a regular basis. It's common for general dentistry professionals to recommend seeing the dentist in a semi-annual basis. See your dentist on a regular basis to help keep your teeth clean.

For more information about how you can protect your teeth during barbecues this summer, talk to your dentist. He or she can answer your questions and give you tips or advice.

For general dentistry, contact a dentist such as Smile 1st Dental Care.