Preventing Oral Diseases Through Your Everyday Diet

While brushing your teeth diligently and visiting a dental clinic regularly will help keep both teeth and gums healthy, eating a well-balanced diet has just an important effect on your oral health. Foods that contain essential vitamins and nutrients help promote strong teeth and bones and keep cavities at bay.

Add-In Fruits and Vegetables

Foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins such as strawberries, broccoli and mushrooms strengthen immunity and give you a better chance at fighting bacteria and inflammation, especially when it comes to protecting your gums from bacterial infections.  These foods contain important minerals for protecting tooth enamel and in preventing the growth of bacteria in the mouth.

 

Crisp fruits like apples and raw vegetables like carrots and celery not only help clean plaque from teeth but also promote fresh breath. Fresh cranberries contain nutrients that reduce the production of sugars in our mouth. This, in turn, makes it difficult for acids to form and prevents bacteria from growing in numbers.

Watch Out For Carbohydrates 

There are good carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables like avocado, spinach and apple, which need to be an important part of our everyday diet. However, your periodontist will encourage you to avoid eating starchy and refined carbohydrates such as chips, crackers, and white bread that trigger the microorganisms to make acid in our mouth.

 

This acid goes on to form plaque which starts to break down tooth enamel and increases the risk of cavity formation. If plaque is left untreated, it can harden and form tartar. Since tartar becomes strongly bonded to the tooth enamel, it can only be removed by a dental health professional.

Choose The Good Fats

While certain fats increase the risk of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and obesity, healthy fats can actually promote good health. Some of the foods that you can include in your diet are wild salmon, tuna, beans, and avocado that can provide these healthy fats in ample amounts.

Don’t Leaf Out The Greens

Eating leafy greens on a regular basis helps promote dental health by reinforcing tooth enamel. Foods such as lettuce, kale, spinach, and arugula produce a natural barrier against cavity-forming bacterial acids.

 

These green leafy vegetables are also a great source of folic acid and can act as a means of gum disease treatment for pregnant women. Leafy greens are rich in Vitamin K which triggers your body’s healing mechanisms and makes you less likely to bleed.

The Right Dairy

Although drinking milk in our daily diet has raised conflicting arguments, researchers across the board agree on the benefits of certain dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Eating cheese increases saliva production and prevents dry mouth from occurring.

 

Both cheese and yogurt contain high amounts of calcium and protein and a significant number of probiotics (the beneficial bacteria) that reduce the presence of bad bacteria and strengthen tooth enamel.

Water, Water Everywhere

Water is good for your overall health but more so for your oral health. Drinking water, specifically containing fluoride, has been scientifically proven to prevent cavities by strengthening the structure and enamel of your teeth. 

 

When you drink water throughout the day, you are constantly not only rinsing away bacteria and sugars but promoting remineralization as well. When you do not drink the required amount of water, the lack of saliva can lead to dry mouth. An overabundance of bad bacteria from dry mouth can further contribute to bad breath.

 

Nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining healthy gums and teeth. The foods and drinks we consume can either accelerate or prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and even bone loss.

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