Foods You Didn’t Know Could Crack Your Teeth

Most people do not know that certain foods can crack their teeth until the worst happens. Suddenly, they need to undergo an emergency dental procedure, which is an expensive and painful lesson to learn.

You can avoid the need for emergency dental treatment and save yourself a lot of time by learning the foods that can crack your teeth. By preparing these foods properly, you can protect your mouth.

What Foods Can Break My Teeth?

Here are six hard foods that can break your teeth.

1. Popcorn Kernels

Have you ever bitten into a handful of popcorn and suddenly felt a sharp pain? The popcorn kernels that sit at the bottom of your popcorn bag can damage your teeth. We think of popcorn as a soft food, so the unexpected hardness of a kernel may shock your system. You can avoid kernel mishaps by carefully looking at every handful of popcorn you put in your mouth and checking it for kernels. Remove them all before you take a bite.

2. Nuts

Nuts themselves are not usually hard enough to damage your mouth. The problem comes when people try to open a nutshell using their teeth. You may think a peanut or almond shell is soft enough to bite into, but their shells can still lead to severe damage. To be safe, you may want to switch to shelled nuts and try out slivered or halved varieties to cut down on the work for your teeth.

3. Olive Pits

No one eats an olive pit on purpose. Too often, though, an errant pit is left inside the olive during manufacturing. You may be enjoying a Greek salad or popping an olive as a predinner treat and feel the pit crunch between your teeth. By eating more slowly, you may be able to detect an olive pit before you bite down.

4. Chicken Wings

If you do not look at a chicken wing as you eat, you may not realize how close you are to the bone. Biting down on it can be painful. Instead, pull the meat off the bone before you eat it.

5. Hard Candy

If you eat hard candy the way it was intended, by sucking on it until you have nothing left, you are not in danger of cracking a tooth. But if you bite down on the hard candy like many of us tend to do, you could run into a problem. Try to resist the urge to bite or stick to other treats.

6. Ice

A cool drink with a lot of ice can be a refreshing treat on a summer day in Manhattan. Many people cannot resist the urge to chew their ice, though, which can lead to broken teeth. Both crushed and cubed ice are too hard to bite safely. If you like the sensation of ice in your mouth, try sucking on it instead.

What Happens If I Crack a Tooth?

You can avoid foods that cause a cracked tooth, but you still may experience one even if you remain careful. Symptoms of a cracked tooth include:

• Pain when you chew or bite.
• Swollen gums around the tooth.
• Sensitivity to hot or cold drinks or food.

If you crack a tooth, the first thing you should do is contact an endodontist to book an appointment. They will look at the tooth and determine the best course of treatment, which may include an emergency root canal.

Book an Appointment for a Cracked Tooth Today

Now that you know what foods can break your teeth, you can be more mindful of them in the future. If you need to repair damage to your mouth in the meantime, Midtown Endodontist NYC can help. We treat broken teeth and relieve pain with proven procedures. Get in touch with us today to discuss your questions or book your appointment online. You can also give us a call at (347) 708-8795.