As you might expect, your diet has a major impact on your dental health. If you eat the wrong foods, you may find yourself battling cavities, gum disease, and weakened teeth. The right food choices will not only improve your overall health, but they can also increase the health of your teeth. If you are interested in building a diet that focuses on oral health, speak with a dentist who is knowledgeable about the role your diet plays. Dr. Frantz Backer, lead dentist at Advanced Dentistry of New York, in Jackson Heights, New York, counsels his patients on the best and the worst food choices for good dental health.
What to Avoid
Everyone knows the big food no-no when it comes to dental health: sugar. Sugar provides the bacteria that naturally occur in your mouth something on which to feed, allowing it to grow and decay your teeth. Whether it is sticky taffy, gooey caramel, or rock-hard sour candies, it will damage your teeth. Other foods that are high in sugar that you may not consider when determining what to avoid for dental health include muffins, raisins, dried fruits, throat lozenges and cough drops, and cakes and pies. In addition to being sugary, some of these foods listed, like raisins and dried fruit, also stick to teeth. Also remember beverages can be high in sugar, like soft drinks, lemonade, and sweetened teas and coffee (when sugar has been added to the coffee). Keep in mind colas, coffees, and teas can also stain your teeth. Also, if you think you can avoid tooth damage by drinking diet sodas, think again. The acid in most diet sodas is just as corrosive to teeth as the sugar in sweetened drinks.
Foods to Add to Your Diet
For optimum dental health, you need to do more than just limit foods in your diet. There are foods you can eat more of that will strengthen your teeth and keep them white, bright, and healthy. Your best options include foods that are high in protein like nuts, milk, chicken, and egg whites. In order to protect the enamel of your teeth, you also need to include foods that contain calcium, like milk.
Other beneficial options include foods that are high in water content like vegetables and crunchy fruits like apples. Also include foods like fruits and vegetables because their high water content stimulates saliva and dilutes sugar. Try not to go overboard with fruit though, because its sugar content can negate its other benefits. These high-water foods also flush away the acid that may build up on teeth from other foods like lemons, tomatoes, oranges, and grapefruit.
More About Sugar
An important thing to realize about sugar is that it hides in many places and may be called by many names. It may seem like avoiding candy will be enough to keep your teeth healthy, but if you eat foods with ingredients like fructose, rice syrup, molasses, or honey, you are exposing your teeth to sugar. If you want a true assessment of the amount of sugar in a food, look on the ingredient label under carbohydrates. There will be a special listing for the amount of sugar. You can also check the list of ingredients for any of the hidden offenders. You can choose from many sugar substitutes, and a few of them, like Stevia, are just as natural as pure cane sugar.
Other Things to Consider
If you are committing to eating a healthier diet to improve your oral health, be sure you are keeping up with the rest of your dental maintenance. Schedule biannual cleanings, which also allow your dentist to examine your teeth and gums for serious problems. Brush at least twice a day, or ideally, after every meal. Include flossing in your brushing routine at least once a day. It is important to maintain your basic dental health routine so you can reap the greatest benefits from dietary improvements. If you would like tips on the best ways to improve your diet for good dental health, speak with a knowledgeable dentist like Dr. Backer at Advanced Dentistry of New York.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
