Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, this is particularly accurate for your gums and teeth in particular. In addition to nourishing yourself, every bite you take also feeds the bacteria in your mouth, so what you eat has a major impact on your oral health.
Tooth decay and gum disease-causing bacteria share a passion for the same starchy and sugary foods you do. For this reason, watching what you eat is very important. Remember that maintaining healthy teeth and gums necessitates a diet low in sugar and carbohydrates yet high in full, nutrient-dense meals.
With regular oral hygiene habits, dental exams, and professional teeth cleanings, knowing the healthiest foods for your teeth and gum health may help keep your smile bright and healthy.
Why Eating Healthy Pays Off
By consuming foods that are good for your teeth, you can help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental issues. Additionally, a balanced diet can give your body the nutrients it needs to keep your teeth and gums strong and healthy.
Kumra Orthodontics, a top-rated orthodontist in Washington, DC, believes in the power of a healthy diet to promote optimal dental health. Contact Kumra Orthodontics today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how they can help you maintain your dental health through proper nutrition and expert orthodontic care!
Healthy Food Options to Keep Your Teeth Healthy
Cheese
If you’re already fond of cheese, this is more evidence of why you should love it. Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and has a relatively low sugar content. It also contains casein, a very beneficial protein for strengthening tooth enamel.
Additionally, chewing cheese stimulates saliva production, which washes away germs in the mouth, further supporting cheese’s reputation as a tooth-friendly food. Furthermore, this dairy product is an excellent dessert option since it neutralizes stomach acid after a meal.
Leafy Greens
We consistently rank vegetables as the top recommended healthy food. They provide the body with all the nutrients it needs to function correctly, including those needed to keep the teeth and gums healthy. This, especially the leafy greens, is your strongest natural protection against cavities and gum disease outside of regular at-home dental treatment.
Due to their high calcium content, leafy greens aid in developing strong tooth enamel. The darker the leafy green, the better for your teeth, as these greens are rich in the minerals your teeth absorb during remineralization.
In addition, you can think of the fiber in green leafy vegetables as a natural toothbrush for your teeth. They encourage more saliva production due to the additional chewing effort, which in turn aids in oral hygiene by washing away food debris and killing off bacteria.
Apples
In terms of oral health, it’s true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples have a lot of fiber, so you’ll need to eat them longer. The result is increased gum activity, which in turn decreases cavity-causing bacteria. This fruit can also stimulate the production of saliva. In this way, it aids in neutralizing oral acidity and lessens the likelihood of tooth decay. Apples provide a healthy alternative to sugary foods because of their high dietary fiber and vitamin content.
Vitamin C-rich Fruits
Maintaining the strength and structure of your teeth depends on vitamin C, making it a crucial nutrient for good dental health. Citrus fruits’ high vitamin C content is good for the teeth, gums, and other oral structures. It reduces the rate at which gum inflammation, a precursor to gum disease, worsens. Moreover, they are effective against the bacteria that cause acidity.
You may also get a natural teeth-whitening agent and eliminate stains from your teeth with the help of malic acid, which is found in a vitamin C-rich fruit like strawberry.
Fatty Fish
With its crucial function in calcium absorption, vitamin D is an important part of any balanced diet. This calcium works to fortify enamel from within, making it vital for healthy teeth. As a result, your risk of cavities will decrease.
Fatty fishes such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are excellent sources of vitamin D. They help your teeth and gums absorb all the disease-fighting calcium from your food. In addition, the high Omega-3 content of these foods helps keep your gums healthy by making your mouth less susceptible to gum infections. If you’re treating gum disease, it can also speed up the healing process.
Chocolate
The good news for all you chocoholics out there is that chocolate isn’t quite as awful for your teeth as you would think. So long as it contains at least 70% cacao and is consumed in moderation. According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, the polyphenols in cocoa help prevent cavities by killing germs and preventing plaque from sticking to teeth.
If you must indulge in chocolate, go for the dark varieties with minimal to no added sugar. It’s because CBH, a chemical found in this chocolate, aids in forming stronger tooth enamel. This means it has the potential to reduce the likelihood of tooth decay.
Seafood
Fluoride, which is included in seafood, is crucial in warding against tooth decay. In addition, they can aid in the fortification of skeletal and dental structures. Consuming fluoride can also help protect teeth from decay in another way: it makes enamel more resistant to the acid in your mouth.
