Tooth decay can affect everyone, regardless of age. Tooth decay is caused by a plaque of bacteria that feeds on the sweets in your diet, causing cavities. Cavities form when bacteria consume sugar and convert it into an acid that destroys the enamel of your teeth.

Sugary foods are unhealthy for your teeth and contribute to plaque and tooth decay. This article will look at the meals you should avoid or limit to maintain your teeth as healthy as possible.
Which foods should you be most concerned about?

Sticky and sugary meals are often terrible for your teeth. Cloggy foods tend to stick to your teeth for longer, giving bacteria a better opportunity to destroy your teeth. Acidic foods are also a bad idea because acid can destroy tooth enamel. Sugary and acidic foods and drinks (such as soda) can hurt your teeth twice as much.

Although the foods listed below are not inherently harmful to your health, doctors advise you to brush your teeth, floss and wash your mouth after eating them to help prevent cavities from forming.

1. Popcorn
Popcorn is a nutritious snack compared to chips, but it may be tough on your teeth. We eat popcorn while watching a long movie, which gives bacteria more chance to harm our teeth. Furthermore, it's nearly impossible to chew popcorn without it becoming stuck between your teeth. After eating, have a toothpick and some water or a decent floss handy.

Besides, if you bite down on one of those hard unpopped kernels, you will fracture your teeth. Take extra precautions if you eat popcorn by the handful.

2. Refined carbs
Most young children's favorite meals, such as white bread, crackers, chips, or french fries, are high in refined carbohydrates. All of them are simple carbohydrates that break down into sugars. When these sugars interact with bacteria in the mouth, they ferment and form lactic acid, eroding tooth enamel.
Soft white bread and dinner rolls are the worst offenders because they stick to the teeth readily, giving bacteria more opportunity to produce acid. 

3. Dried fruits
Fruit roll-ups, raisins, and dried apricots are all examples of good nutritional snacks that are better for your teeth than candy. However, due to drying, the sugars in these fruits are greatly concentrated. Because of their chewy nature, they tend to stick to teeth, giving germs more opportunity to inflict harm.

4. Soft drinks
All soft drinks include acid, whether they contain sugar or not. This can harm your teeth, causing cavities and dental erosion. Avoid carbonated beverages if you want to keep your teeth healthy. Stick to unsweetened tea or water as an alternative. If you must drink a soft drink, avoid brushing your teeth right away because the acid softens your tooth enamel, leaving it more susceptible to abrasion.

5. Pickles
Pickled foods are made with vinegar, containing the acid required for the pickling process. This acid can cause tooth discoloration as well as enamel loss. Many pickled foods include sugar, which contributes to tooth decay.

6. Wine
Erosive acid, found in white and red wine, softens the enamel. Tannins in red wine can dry out your mouth and stain your teeth. Brush your teeth before drinking wine to help limit the amount of plaque to which the wine can attach. To avoid brushing the wine into your teeth, wait 30 minutes after consuming wine before brushing your teeth.

7. Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits are a must-have in any healthy diet. However, if ingested in large amounts, the citric acid in the fruit can erode your tooth enamel, leaving your teeth vulnerable to cavities. Lemons, limes, and grapefruit are among the most acidic fruits. Use a straw when drinking juice to allow some of the acids to flow through your teeth.

8. Pasta sauce
Tomatoes are high in vitamins, yet they are acidic. Because the acid in the sauce breaks down your teeth and the pasta's carbs help feed germs that cause cavities, eating pasta with red sauce can inflict double the damage to your enamel.

9. Hard candy
While you wait for the hard candies to disintegrate, they linger in your mouth. Some hard candies might take up to 10 minutes to dissolve, and eating candy has no health benefits. Because the sugary dessert spends so much time in your mouth, the bacterium has plenty of opportunities to inflict serious harm. Hard candy can also cause teeth to crack and wounds on the inside of your mouth.

10. PB&J sandwiches
Peanut butter is typically produced with a lot of sugar and is extremely sticky. To alleviate the problem, use natural peanut butter with no added sugar. Furthermore, jam is usually rich in sugar. Even all-fruit jams contain natural sugars that cause plaque and bacteria to accumulate if not rinsed off immediately.