Eating For Your Teeth
It’s interesting that we spend a lot of time and money working on our teeth and making sure that they are healthy and strong but that most of us don’t take any consideration into how the foods we eat effect our teeth. Beyond the basic advice to avoid eating a lot of sugary foods and drinking a bunch of soda most of us don’t know what the best foods are for our teeth. We all typically know that drinking a lot of coffee and smoking can do some serious damage to your teeth but beyond that there aren’t a lot of resources that explain what foods we can eat to strengthen our teeth and what could be potentially harmful. Below I’ve compiled some good tips about what you should and shouldn’t eat to keep your teeth nice and healthy.
Most of the problems that occur from an improper diet when it comes to your teeth are based around tooth decay. Tooth decay comes from when the bacteria that live on and around your teeth, particularly where there is plaque, feed off of the carbohydrates and produce acid in the mouth that erodes the tooth enamel causing decay. Sugary foods are the most common culprit of these and that’s why our dentists so commonly warn us away from sugary sodas and snacks because these present they greatest risk to the health of your teeth. Instead you want to make sure that you’re eating a lot of foods that will promote good health in your teeth and your gums. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables but be careful how much you eat in the way of citrus fruits because these can be pretty rough on your gums and the enamel of your teeth. High protein snacks like nuts and low fat cheese can be really great too.
It’s also important to pay attention to how you eat because that can have a big impact on the health of your mouth as well. You want to avoid really sticky foods or foods that take a long time to chew are more detrimental to your mouth. Always choose fresh fruit as opposed to dried fruit that is sticky and more sugary because it’s much easier on your teeth and can prevent remnants of food staying attached to your teeth and causing harm. You can also do things like eat a high protein snack before eating anything too sugary because it can actual limit the chemical reaction that takes place in your mouth. Have a bite of cheese or an egg or a scoop of peanut butter before eating any sweets and always rinse your mouth with some water afterwards if you can.
Be sure to avoid drinking things that have lots of chemicals or additives in them as well like energy drinks, sports drinks, and even too much alcohol can be bad for your gums. If you keep these kinds of tips in mind you’ll do great when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy and happy!