As we all know, fast food has become a staple of modern eating. Especially when you have a hectic schedule, it is much easier to hit the drive-through than prepare something fresh at home from scratch. Unfortunately, you might not realize that – fast food is not the healthiest option, and you should avoid it.
It is important to note that consuming fast food may lead to life-long health problems. Problems such as obesity and diabetes are typical. It can also increase your risk of developing cavities and gum disease. If you are among those regular fast food eaters, you should positively read and share this article on how it may impact oral health.
The Connection Between Fast Food and Oral Health
1 Salt and sugar are bad for oral health
Because of its added sugar and salt, fast food is bad for oral health. When you eat it, debris is more likely to stick to your teeth. This food debris will slowly allow acids to build upon your teeth’s surface. Eventually, this may cause tooth cavities and tooth decay.
Research on fast foods has confirmed that a single fast-food meal may contain 1,300 mg of sodium. This amount of sodium is more than half of the upper recommended limit in a single day.
Calcium gives your teeth strength and structure. If you consume a high-sodium diet, it will cause your body to excrete calcium. Thus leading to tooth loss and even osteoporosis in the future.
2 Soda pops can wear down tooth enamel
You also order a soda pop when you grab a cheeseburger from your favorite fast-food joint. The sugars found in carbonated beverages affect and break down your tooth enamel. Thus making them more prone to decay and cavities.
Most of these carbonated drinks contain sugar that erodes your tooth enamel and makes them prone to tooth decay and cavities. Just imagine one 12-ounce can of soda – it may have ten teaspoons of sugar. The figure is far more than the American Heart Association recommends for an entire day.
3 Diabetes can impact gum health
Eating fast food regularly can increase the risk of developing diabetes symptoms. Diabetes can then lead to other dental problems.
Several studies over the years have confirmed that individuals with diabetes are already at higher risk of periodontal disease. Therefore, it becomes imperative for individuals to maintain good blood glucose levels if they have diabetes. Only then can they prevent its harmful effect on their oral health.
Moreover, soda can add around 150 excess calories to your daily intake. Soda contains sugar linked to various health problems, like heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver, and arthritis. But note that soda is not the only culprit.
Other beverages like energy drinks, fruit juice, lemonade, sports drinks, iced tea, coffee drinks, and sweetened waters are harmful to your waistline and to your gum line.
4 Find alternatives to fast food
If you want to protect your teeth and gums and at the same time promote good oral hygiene for the rest of your family – you should start looking for alternatives to fast food.
You might not have time to prepare fresh meals at home, but there are other ways to get your nutrition without damaging your oral health. When you need to eat out, try selecting items less likely to stick to your teeth, such as fresh food and salads.
Also, avoid soda pop and other carbonated beverages. Instead, order water to save both money and your teeth..
5 Use proper oral hygiene habits
It is always a good idea to encourage and practice good oral hygiene. You do not have to give up fast food altogether, but you can decrease the damage it might cause.
The oral bacteria generally thrive on sugar produced in your mouth with food items rich in carbohydrates. The interaction between these simple sugars and oral bacteria often creates harsh acids that damage your teeth. Your tooth enamel erodes, leading to tooth sensitivity, gum disease, tooth decay, and more.
For instance, you should always brush your teeth and floss after eating fast food. Try chewing on sugarless gum if you do not have a toothbrush and floss available. If you can remove the buildup of food debris, you can limit the harm caused by eating fast food.
Fast Food is a Big NO for Children
Oral hygiene and dental health are closely connected and play a vital role from childhood. If you want your kids to have a solid and beautiful smile and no toothache or cavities, try to reduce fast food or junk food intake.
The more your child is prone to eating junk food or eating out at the food joints, stop today. Also, if you are in the habit of packing food, then stop these habits immediately.
As you know, most parents today are working. Hence they follow a hectic lifestyle. They are too busy with their lives to understanding that nutritious food is essential for their kid’s overall growth and development.
You should indeed try to stop your child from gorging on chocolates. But at the same time, you also need to ensure they have enough nutritious food available to eat.
We all know that pizza, fries, burgers, and ham sandwiches are easy choices as they are cheaper and readily available. But remember that these foods have high sugar content and hence are low in nutritional value. Their sugary and acidic content may erode your enamel if you consume these fast foods too often.
The truth is that it is not harmful if you bring junk food home occasionally. But for most of you who find it an easy alternative, think twice before buying them. You will probably need to care for your dental health and the little kids in their growing years.
Besides healthy, nutritious food, you should regularly take your kid to the dentist for examination. You must ensure that your kid gets the right nutrient content in their daily diet and proper dental care.
Overall Health and Fast Food
Maintaining poor oral health will result in constant dental pain and cavities. Once cavities start to form, you may have to avoid hard food such as fruits, meat, and vegetables. Which are healthy for your body.
Note that junk food will result in poor nutrition. Therefore, do not let yourself kid fast food that is more comforting to your teeth, like high sugar beverages.
Remember that it is a vicious cycle. The consumption of junk food will increase your chances of developing serious illnesses. They could be diabetes and obesity, which generally have long-term implications.
As you know, obesity is a menace and needs urgent medical attention. The lack of healthy, nutritious food and exposure to junk food has resulted in poor eating habits. Moreover, there might also be other development problems among children.
Therefore, you can say that dental health is closely related to fast food – especially in children. As parents, you should take precautionary measures to avoid the intake of junk food daily.
Fast Food Lead to Tooth Cavities
If you are eating fast food frequently, it will develop into a habit, and it is hard to quit snacking altogether. Especially when festival season is around the corner, it becomes even more difficult.
So you know how difficult it is to brush and floss after every snack. So what should you do? You do not necessarily have to quit snacking on fast food altogether. But you can take many other steps to prevent yourself and your kids from visiting the dental clinic with a cavity or tooth decay.
As we all know, abundant sugar will make fast food bad for your teeth and gums. Most of your favorite junk foods contain loads of sugar – that is why they are called junk.
If you frequently snack on these treats and keep sipping on sugary drinks, your likelihood of dental problems will increase. The harmful oral bacteria found naturally in your mouth feed on the sugars in these treats. As a result, these bacteria create acids and erode your tooth enamel.
If this tooth decay process progresses after a few months, the enamel starts to break down. You may notice white spots on your tooth, which may darken to a brownish spot.
At this stage, you will start to see small holes develop in the teeth as the enamel is weakened. This process indicates the formation of cavities or early childhood caries.
If you do not brush off these sugars as soon as they accumulate, the acid may continue to eat away at your enamel. Thus wearing it down which leads to tooth decay – which when severe may require a root canal procedure with a dental crown.
Fast Food vs. Healthy Diet
You may ask why a healthy diet is important for oral health? Do you know that your teeth are under acid attack for nearly an hour every time you consume sugary food? The reason is that the sugar you intake will react with the bacteria in plaque and chemically produce harmful acid.
Therefore, you should make an extra effort to control sugary drinks and foods just at mealtimes. This will limit the time your whole mouth is at risk or is under any acid attack.
It is important to note that acidic foods and drinks can also harm your teeth and gums. The acid will slowly wear away or dissolve the enamel, thus exposing your teeth’ dentin layer. It can also make your teeth more sensitive.
A diet rich in minerals, vitamins, and fresh fruit and vegetables can be beneficial in preventing gum disease. If gum disease is not treated early, it may lead to tooth loss causing bad breath.
In summary, your oral health is crucial, and you need to take precautionary measures to avoid consuming junk food frequently. In addition, you need to visit your dentist every six months to examine your teeth. Lastly, you must ensure that you and your family have a daily dose of the proper nutrients, including calcium, in your meals.
Research on fast foods has confirmed that a single fast-food meal may contain 1,300 mg of sodium. This amount of sodium is more than half of the upper recommended limit in a single day. 
Most of these carbonated drinks contain sugar that erodes your tooth enamel and makes them prone to tooth decay and cavities. Just imagine one 12-ounce can of soda – it may have ten teaspoons of sugar. The figure is far more than the 
Several studies over the years have confirmed that individuals with diabetes are already at higher risk of periodontal disease. Therefore, it becomes imperative for individuals to maintain good blood glucose levels if they have diabetes. Only then can they prevent its harmful effect on their oral health.
You might not have time to prepare fresh meals at home, but there are other ways to get your nutrition without damaging your oral health. When you need to eat out, try selecting items less likely to stick to your teeth, such as fresh food and salads. 
The oral bacteria generally thrive on sugar produced in your mouth with food items rich in carbohydrates. The interaction between these simple sugars and oral bacteria often creates harsh acids that damage your teeth. Your tooth enamel erodes, leading to tooth sensitivity, gum disease, tooth decay, and more.