Between dental visits, it is important to maintain your oral health. Beyond brushing and flossing, nutrition is the next step to a healthy mouth. A healthy diet will help prevent tooth decay and cavities. To keep your smile bright, add these 10 teeth-friendly foods to your diet.
- Dairy-Unsweetened yogurt and milk are low in acidity, lessening dental erosion and decay. The calcium and phosphates in milk and cheese help put back minerals your teeth might have lost due to other foods. Cheese also produces more saliva, balances the pH in your mouth, and destroys bacteria that leads to cavities and gum disease.
- Fruits-Firm and crunchy fruits like apples and pears have a high water content. This dilutes the effects of the sugars they contain and simulate the flow of saliva. Strawberries, kiwis, and citrus fruits contain a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants and help fight plaque. If you don’t get an adequate amount of vitamin C, your gums become susceptible to bacteria that causes periodontal disease.
- Vegetables-Crunchy vegetables cleanse and stimulate the gums to make them healthier. Sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli and pumpkin contain vitamin A, necessary for the formation of tooth enamel. Onions contain powerful antibacterial sulfur compounds that destroy various types of bacteria. Celery cleans your teeth, protects your gums and teeth, increases the production of saliva and destroys the bacteria that leads to cavities.
- Animal Food-Beef, chicken, turkey, eggs – all of them contain phosphorous. Calcium, with the help of vitamin D and phosphorous, creates our bones system. These elements keep teeth stronger and healthier by protecting them from teeth decay. Some poultry and seafood provide fluoride.
- Sesame Seeds-Sesame seeds destroy plaque and help build tooth enamel. They’re also rich in calcium, which helps preserve the bone around your teeth and gums.
- Nuts-Nuts provide calcium and phosphorus needed to redeposit minerals in tooth enamel after being removed by acids.
- Herbs-Chewing parsley or mint leaves after a pungent meal will help you maintain sweet-smelling breath. These herbs contain monoterpenes, substances that travel quickly from your bloodstream to your lungs, where their odor is released via your breath.
- Shiitake Mushrooms-Lentinan, a sugar found in shiitake mushrooms, prevents mouth bacteria from creating plaque.
- Wasabi-The substances that make wasabi taste hot, isothiocyanates, protects your teeth by inhibiting the growth of cavity-causing bacteria.
- Unsweetened Drinks-Water cleanses your mouth, allowing the saliva to deposit essential minerals back into weakened teeth. It also hydrates your gums and washes away food particles that cause plaque to build up in the mouth. Most tap water contains fluoride, which helps protect tooth enamel from decay and promotes healthy teeth. Green tea cleans the teeth and prevents plaque from building up, reducing the risk of bad breath and cavities. Green and black tea contain polyphenols that kill or suppress plaque bacteria, preventing them from growing or producing acid.