Sugary, starchy, and acidic foods can cause tooth decay if they’re eaten frequently or remain on teeth for a long time. A balanced diet is important for your overall health as well as the health of your teeth. Certain food choices greatly impact the strength, color, appearance, and health of your gums and mouth. Regardless of your age, there are foods that supply essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to the stability and chemistry of your teeth. Use these food and nutrition tips to keep you smiling.
Fruits and Vegetables
The high volume of water in fruits and vegetables apart from keeping us hydrated help our oral health, pears, melons, and cucumbers, are low in sugar and chewing them helps clean the teeth. Try to limit your intake of foods like bananas and dried fruits because they’re higher in sugar and be sure to brush your teeth immediately after eating them.
Sources of Calcium
Calcium is known to build strong, healthy teeth. That’s why dentists recommend including good sources like milk, yogurt, cheese, and broccoli in your meals and snacks. Particularly cheese helps trigger the flow of saliva, which rinses food particles off of teeth.
Stay Sugar Free
Sugary and starchy foods like raisins, dried fruit, granola bars, cookies, hard candies, jelly beans, honey, chewy caramels, and syrup tend to stick to the teeth and are difficult for saliva to wash away. As a result, they continuously coat the teeth with sugar, which can result in tooth decay. Try to only buy foods that are unsweetened or sugar-free from now on. Or have an occasional sugary dessert right after a meal since there’s usually a higher amount of saliva in the mouth at mealtime, which can help wash these sugars off of teeth.
Bedtime
Have plain water rather than milk, or juice. This goes for the whole family water helps wash away the food particles that can cling to the teeth and cause tooth decay.
Brush and Floss Your Teeth Every Day
Be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once a day to help remove plaque and food between teeth and below the gum line. Ask your dentist to teach you right oral hygiene techniques.
Visit your Dentist Regularly
From your first birthday till forever regular dental checkups and cleanings will prevent, treat, and detect dental problems before they start.