You exert wear and tear on your teeth every day by chewing and performing oral functions. They endure this without issue, but accidents could happen that result in your teeth chipping, cracking, or fracturing.
This type of injury could put your smile at risk of getting an oral infection or other major dental problems, even if you are not currently in pain. If you hurt a tooth, let your dentist know as soon as possible so that you can prevent further harm. Read on to learn which foods pose a risk of breaking your teeth, leading to the requirement of urgent restorative dental treatment.
Which Food Items Could Hurt My Smile?
Popcorn
Popcorn is an easy, fun-to-eat snack that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home or at a movie theater. People love its light, fluffy texture, but you might stumble upon unpopped kernels in your bowl of popcorn.
These hard kernels could cause your tooth to chip or crack if you accidentally bite them. A crack in your tooth can deepen over time and put your oral health at risk. If you suffer tooth breakage, make sure you visit your dentist for an emergency dental evaluation.
Bagels
Many people use bagels and other hard breads to build delicious sandwiches. You may imagine that bagels are soft in texture, but they are denser than you might guess. You could break a tooth when biting into them, especially if you are not aware of this risk.
Though minor dental damage can be amended with cosmetic dentistry, your dentist may need to use restorative dental treatments to repair the breakage in your smile. To avoid this injury and spend less time in your dentist’s chair, take care when you enjoy bagels and hard breads.
Hard Candy
Hard candy is made by boiling sugary syrup and allowing it to harden as it cools. Ideally, you should suck this sweet treat in the mouth until it dissolves. However, many people feel tempted to bite down on this candy before that time.
This act could mean danger for your teeth, so you should not give in to this impulse. If you break a tooth, your dentist may need to cover the tooth with a dental crown to prevent further harm and preserve its structure and function. The crown can provide fifteen years of restorative benefits. But to protect your natural smile, you should be careful when you consume hard candy.
Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is exciting to eat, but this is an example of another food that could hurt your smile. Our teeth are not designed to bite down on the cob from an ear of corn.
Grating teeth against a corn cob could lead to chips and cracks in your teeth. You can scrape the corn from the cob to eat it without issue. Or if you must eat corn on the cob, be careful as you do so.