Did you know the foods you eat can effect your overall oral health? Just the way the rest of your body responds to a healthy diet, your oral health can also be negatively or positively impacted. Below is a list of the helpful and the not so helpful foods that we at our Manchester family dental office can effect not just your body, but your pearly whites!
Top foods to support healthy teeth are green leafy vegetables, as they are rich in vitamin B and folic acid which are essential for maintaining healthy gums. Suffering from dry mouth? Apples are a great food to eat to help support healthy salivation in your mouth. Your saliva is what helps break down the food we eat and also aids in removal of oral bacteria. As the slogan goes “eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Bacteria in the mouth can also be good, and if you incorporate cheese into your diet it delivers good bacteria into your mouth and gut. It’s are important to remember that Vitamin D and calcium are essential for healthy teeth. Foods like nuts or nut butters contain these essential vitamins and minerals.
As with the good, there is always a bad and there are certainly foods that can harm your body when eaten in high quantities. We all know it’s hard (even for us at our Manchester family dental office) to stay away from refined sugars such candy bars or gummy bears, but eating high sugar foods can cause an over growth of bad bacteria in our mouth. If you’re wanting some carbonation, remember that though diet soda’s might be considered a better option as opposed to the regular stuff as they have no sugar, they can actually cause the pH in your mouth to get very low. Low pH in your mouth can lead to tooth demineralization which can lead to cavities. Though not a food, chewing ice sounds harmless but actually it can cause stresses on our teeth which leads to micro fractures and potentially tooth loss. These types of foods should be consumed in moderation or only on occasion to benefit your oral health.
Remember, having a healthy diet can increase your oral health and support healthy teeth and a beautiful smile!
