By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The rainy days are over and a heat wave is striking the nation. Around this time of the year, ice cream and Popsicle sales soar and any cold or icy foods are welcome to the meal table.
However, experts warn that such cold foods could be bad for your teeth and certain precautions should be taken to minimize the effects. Popsicles are typically stored at under -20 C, which means that taking a bite comes with a freezing cold feeling on the teeth.
Hwang Seong-shik of Misodream Clinic says, “I recommend ice cream over hard candies if you have cavities, a bridge or implants on the teeth. Also be sure to choose the ones displayed near to the storage door rather than the ones deep inside. If it is too hard, then allow it to defrost for awhile before eating it,” he said.
Cold foods are not the only thing harmful to the teeth. While Koreans love sweet and sour foods they may not always be the best choice for teeth.
Cold noodles can hurt the inner mouth because they contain vinegar, which has a high acidity level. Soft drinks are also quite acidic, ranging from a pH of 2.5 to 3.5 in general.
You may think fruit is good but in fact, watermelons, peaches and other summer fruits contain a lot of sugar. Some even have a high level of acidity that could exacerbate bleeding from existing conditions in extreme cases.
It is the best to brush your teeth within 10 minutes of eating snacks or fruits. Drinking tea is recommended over coffee or soda. Also, it’s good to eat vegetables when drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages. Not only are they good for you but they are also good for the teeth as they combat germs.
Hwang says it is best to brush your teeth three times a day for more than three minutes each time within three minutes of eating.