Taking care of our teeth is a task we have to keep up with every day. Achieving a healthy smile requires brushing, flossing, and a quick rinse with mouthwash. During the day, we have to make good health choices for our teeth. This means avoiding acidic drinks, foods that are high in acid, and snacks hard enough to harm our teeth. Achieving this means that we can rest easy knowing that our smile is being protected. While these steps will achieve that goal, are you doing all you can?
Maintaining Good Oral Health Means Picking The Right Foods
Just like the other parts of your body, your mouth requires the proper nutrition to thrive. This is about more than avoiding things that are bad for you. You also have to make a conscientious effort to choose a tooth-healthy diet. Foods can be valuable sources of fluoride, as well as essential vitamins and minerals. While vitamin D and calcium are known to be good for our teeth and bones, they’re just the start.
Foods that can give your oral health a significant boost:
- Calcium Foods – Yes, the well-known trope about dairy for teeth and bones is true. But you can also get calcium from tofu, almonds, salmon, and vegetables.
- Phosphorus Sources – The primary building blocks of our bones are calcium and phosphorus. Lean meats, eggs, dairy, and beans are notably good sources of this mineral.
- Vitamin C – known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is good for our teeth and gums. Potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, and peppers can get you what you need.
- Vitamin D – If you need an excuse to get out in the sun, know it’s good for your teeth. Vitamin D has been demonstrated to help battle gum disease and protect our jawbone from decay. Just a few short hours in the sun can help. Also, try dairy and supplements to get your supply.
Now that you’ve added these to your diet, you should be good, right? Not quite. While these are all going to help preserve the strength and beauty of your teeth, there’s more. You still need to avoid those sugary and acidic foods that can harm your teeth. Avoiding foods hard enough to crack your teeth, like chewing hard candy and ice, is also necessary. Your dental hygiene routine will be just as important as ever. Consider the following guide to what to avoid:
- Sweets Of All Kinds – The bacteria in your mouth, streptococcus mutans, is exceptionally good at turning sugar into acid. This acid softens the enamel, making it more prone to erosion and decay. Want a relatively safe treat? Try chocolate. It’s not perfect, but it does wash off the teeth easier than other sweets.
- Starchy Foods – Chewy bread, chips, and other starch-rich foods can get stuck in hidden places in the mouth. Flossing is the best way to address it, but the debris will feed the bacteria until you do.
Your Dental Health Provider Can Help
Everything above touches on the ways you can help and harm your oral health. Speaking to your dentist will give you more guidance. If you haven’t seen them in the past six months, it’s time for your next appointment. Call them now!
