Cut This Out in 2026: The Smile Saboteurs You Need to Eliminate This Year

Every January, Buford and Gwinnett County residents make resolutions to improve their health, lose weight, and break bad habits. But while you’re planning gym memberships and meal prep schedules, there’s one area of health that often gets overlooked in the New Year’s resolution rush—your dental health. The truth is, many everyday habits, foods, and beverages are quietly destroying your teeth, causing decay, enamel erosion, and gum disease that will cost you far more than just money to fix.

At Buford Family Dental, we see the consequences of these smile saboteurs every day. Patients come in surprised to learn that their “healthy” smoothie habit is eroding their enamel, or that their seemingly harmless nail-biting has cracked a tooth. The good news? 2026 offers you a fresh start to eliminate these damaging behaviors and choices before they require expensive dental work.

This January, instead of vague resolutions like “be healthier,” let’s get specific about the habits, foods, and drinks you should cut from your life to protect your smile. Some of these culprits might surprise you, while others you’ve suspected all along. Either way, eliminating them from your 2026 routine will save your teeth—and potentially thousands of dollars in future dental bills.

The Worst Beverages for Your Teeth

Let’s start with what you’re drinking, because the liquids you consume throughout the day have a profound impact on your dental health. Many beverages that seem innocent or even healthy are actually bathing your teeth in sugar and acid for hours on end.

• Soda—both regular and diet—tops the list of smile destroyers. Regular soda combines two terrible ingredients for teeth: sugar and acid. The sugar feeds bacteria in your mouth that produce enamel-eroding acid, while the soda’s own acidity attacks your enamel directly. A single can of cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar and has a pH level around 2.5, making it extremely acidic. Diet soda isn’t any better—while it eliminates the sugar, it’s often even more acidic than regular soda, with some varieties dropping to a pH of 2.3. For context, battery acid has a pH of 1.
• Sports and energy drinks deserve special attention because many Buford families assume these are healthier alternatives to soda. They’re not. Sports drinks contain high levels of both sugar and citric acid, creating a one-two punch against your enamel. Energy drinks are even worse, often containing double the acidity of sports drinks. Studies show that energy drinks cause twice as much enamel damage as sports drinks, and both cause significantly more damage than soda.
• Fruit juice seems like a healthy choice, especially for kids, but it’s actually terrible for teeth. Even 100 percent fruit juice with no added sugar is highly acidic and contains natural sugars that feed cavity-causing bacteria. Apple juice, orange juice, and grape juice are particularly damaging. The “healthy halo” around juice leads parents to give children unlimited access, when in reality, juice should be treated as an occasional treat, not a daily beverage.
• Coffee and tea, especially when sweetened or consumed frequently throughout the day, create multiple problems. The tannins in both stain teeth, while added sugar feeds bacteria. Perhaps more damaging is the habit of sipping coffee or tea all day long, which means your teeth are constantly exposed to acidity rather than having time to remineralize between meals. If you must have your morning coffee, drink it with a meal rather than sipping it over hours, and rinse your mouth with water afterward.

The Sneaky Food Culprits

Certain foods are obvious dental villains—candy, cookies, cake—but many Buford residents don’t realize that some seemingly innocent or even “healthy” foods are just as damaging to teeth.

• Sticky, chewy candies like gummy bears, caramels, taffy, and dried fruit are among the worst offenders. They cling to teeth and lodge between them, providing a sustained sugar source for bacteria. The longer sugar stays in contact with your teeth, the more damage it causes. Dried fruit is particularly deceptive—parents give children dried mangoes or raisins thinking it’s a healthy snack, not realizing that the drying process concentrates natural sugars and creates a sticky texture that’s terrible for teeth.
• Starchy foods that get stuck in teeth deserve more attention than they receive. Potato chips, crackers, white bread, and pasta break down into simple sugars in your mouth and tend to get trapped between teeth and along the gum line. That paste-like residue you feel on your teeth after eating chips? That’s providing a feast for cavity-causing bacteria. Many people don’t think to floss after eating chips or crackers, leaving that starchy residue in contact with teeth for hours.
• Citrus fruits and tomatoes, while nutritious, are highly acidic and can erode enamel over time, especially when consumed frequently or in concentrated forms. Sucking on lemon wedges, a habit some people adopt for various health trends, is particularly damaging. Even adding lemon to your water all day long creates sustained acid exposure. The acid in citrus weakens enamel, making it more susceptible to wear and cavities.
• Ice seems completely harmless—it’s just frozen water, right? But chewing ice is one of the most common causes of cracked and chipped teeth we see at our Buford practice. The hardness of ice combined with the force of chewing creates stress that can fracture tooth enamel or even crack teeth entirely. Many ice-chewers don’t realize they have a problem until they bite down wrong and crack a molar, requiring an expensive crown or root canal.

The Habits That Are Destroying Your Smile

Beyond what you eat and drink, certain behaviors and habits cause tremendous damage to teeth. These habits often develop unconsciously and become so ingrained that people don’t realize they’re doing them.

• Nail biting seems like a harmless nervous habit, but it causes serious dental damage. The constant pressure on teeth can cause them to chip or crack over time. Nail biting also shifts your jaw into an unnatural position, potentially contributing to TMJ problems and facial pain. Additionally, you’re introducing bacteria from your hands directly into your mouth. If you’re a nail biter, 2026 is the year to break this habit—your teeth, jaw, and immune system will thank you.
• Using your teeth as tools is incredibly common and incredibly damaging. Opening packages, tearing tags off clothing, holding items while your hands are full, opening bottles—all of these put tremendous stress on teeth that weren’t designed for these purposes. Every time someone uses their teeth as scissors or pliers, they risk chipping, cracking, or even breaking teeth. One moment of convenience can result in thousands of dollars in dental work.
• Grinding and clenching teeth, especially during sleep, wears down enamel, fractures teeth, and causes chronic jaw pain. Many Buford patients don’t realize they grind their teeth until a dentist points out the wear patterns or they develop symptoms like morning headaches or jaw soreness. Stress and anxiety often trigger grinding, making this an especially common issue in our fast-paced modern lives. A custom nightguard can protect your teeth, but addressing underlying stress is equally important.
• Brushing too aggressively or using a hard-bristled toothbrush seems counterintuitive—isn’t more brushing better? Actually, aggressive brushing damages gums and wears away enamel. We see patients who brush so hard that they’ve created notches in their teeth near the gum line and caused significant gum recession. Use a soft-bristled brush and gentle circular motions instead of aggressive back-and-forth scrubbing.
• Smoking and tobacco use deserve special mention because they damage teeth and gums in multiple ways. Tobacco stains teeth, causes bad breath, significantly increases gum disease risk, slows healing after dental procedures, and dramatically increases oral cancer risk. If you only make one change in 2026, quitting tobacco should be it. The benefits for your oral and overall health are immeasurable.

The Timing Mistakes That Multiply Damage

It’s not just what you consume or do—it’s also when and how often. Timing and frequency dramatically affect the level of damage to your teeth.

• Constant grazing and sipping throughout the day means your teeth never get a break from acid and sugar exposure. Every time you eat or drink something other than water, the pH in your mouth drops and your teeth are under acid attack. Saliva needs time to neutralize this acid and begin remineralizing your enamel. When you’re constantly snacking or sipping beverages, your teeth remain in an acidic environment all day long. Limit eating and drinking to specific times rather than grazing continuously.
• Bedtime snacking, especially on sugary or starchy foods, is particularly damaging because saliva production decreases significantly during sleep. That means the sugar and bacteria have all night to attack your teeth with minimal natural defenses. If you absolutely must have a late-night snack, choose cheese or nuts rather than crackers or sweets, and always brush and floss before bed.
• Swimming in chlorinated pools for extended periods might seem like an odd inclusion, but competitive swimmers often experience “swimmer’s calculus”—a brownish staining caused by pool chemicals. Heavily chlorinated pool water has a high pH that can erode enamel over time. While recreational swimmers don’t need to worry, those spending hours daily in pools should be aware of this risk and rinse their mouths with tap water after swimming.

Smarter Alternatives for 2026

Eliminating damaging foods, drinks, and habits is only half the battle. You need practical alternatives that satisfy the same needs without destroying your teeth.

• Swap soda and juice for water or unsweetened beverages. If plain water feels boring, try adding cucumber slices, fresh mint, or a splash of fruit for flavor without the sugar and acid. Sparkling water can satisfy the carbonation craving, though it’s slightly acidic, so it’s better than soda but not as tooth-friendly as still water.
• Choose cheese, nuts, and vegetables for snacks instead of chips, crackers, or candy. These alternatives actually help your teeth rather than harming them. Cheese stimulates saliva production and contains calcium that strengthens teeth. Crunchy vegetables like carrots and celery act as natural tooth cleaners. Nuts provide protein and healthy fats without the sugar and starch that feed bacteria.
• If you must have something sweet, eat it with a meal rather than as a standalone snack. Saliva production increases during meals, helping to wash away sugars and neutralize acids. Having dessert immediately after dinner is much better for your teeth than snacking on sweets throughout the afternoon.
• Replace harmful habits with healthier stress-relief methods. If you bite your nails or grind your teeth due to stress, address the underlying anxiety through exercise, meditation, deep breathing, or other stress-management techniques. Keep your hands busy with a stress ball or fidget toy instead of bringing them to your mouth.
• Use a straw when drinking acidic or sugary beverages to minimize contact with teeth. Position the straw toward the back of your mouth rather than against your front teeth. This won’t eliminate damage entirely, but it reduces the exposure compared to sipping directly from a cup.

Make 2026 Your Healthiest Smile Year

Breaking lifelong habits and changing dietary patterns isn’t easy, but the payoff for your dental health is substantial. Every sugary soda you don’t drink, every time you reach for your keys instead of your teeth to open a package, every nail-biting session you resist—these small victories add up to healthier teeth, fewer cavities, and less money spent on dental repairs.

The beginning of a new year offers the perfect opportunity to evaluate your habits honestly and commit to meaningful change. You don’t have to eliminate everything overnight. Start by identifying your biggest smile saboteurs and tackle them one at a time. Maybe you commit to giving up soda in January, then work on the afternoon snacking habit in February. Gradual, sustainable change is more effective than trying to overhaul everything at once and burning out by mid-January.

At Buford Family Dental, we’re here to support your journey toward optimal oral health. Dr. Patel, Dr. Choi, and our entire team can help you identify which habits are causing the most damage to your specific smile and create a personalized plan for improvement. We can also repair any damage that’s already occurred, from treating cavities to providing nightguards for grinders to offering cosmetic solutions for stained or worn teeth.

Don’t let another year pass while destructive habits and dietary choices silently damage your smile. Contact Buford Family Dental today at 678-730-2005 to schedule your appointment. Let’s make 2026 the year you cut out the smile saboteurs and invest in a lifetime of healthy, beautiful teeth. Your future smile will thank you.