What should be incorporated in your daily diet to keep your teeth and gums strong and your smile beaming? If you’re a regular visitor to the dentist, the dentist will have likely mentioned the key ingredients your mouth needs to maintain a strong, confident smile, and these ingredients stem from food and drink. Food and drink you consume play a vital part in your oral health because a poor diet means feeding harmful bacteria that can penetrate inside the mouth, causing dental plaque build-up. Therefore, when you eat. consider foods for strong oral health, and we have suggestions to help.
The saying ‘you are what you eat’ is a truthful signal of your diet as well. Starchy or sugary foods feed bacterial germs that can cause tooth decay and gum disease. Bacteria and sugar combine together to cause an acid attack. attacking your teeth after you’ve finished eating and causing enamel erosion.
To support the structures of strong bone, gums and teeth, your diet needs to contain the right food and drink so your smile shines for longer.
Here are some surprising foods for strong oral health that you should eat as part of your diet:
Sugarless Chewing Gum
Sugarless chewing gum not only has no sugar, but it helps remove particles from your mouth because of the amount of saliva it produces. Your teeth are always at risk of an acid attack from bacteria, plaque and sugars as it slowly dissolves the enamel and can cause cavity and tooth decay. This can be reduced by chewing sugarless gum so the saliva rinses your mouth and keeps it clean. Although, if you add sugar blocks in your tea, you could override these benefits.
Crunchy Vegetables
Crunchy vegetables such as celery, sprouts, broccoli and carrots are another great source of saliva production to neutralise bacteria. When chewing these vegetables, your mouth remains clean by digesting any food around the mouth. Plus, crunching helps to massage your gums.
Dairy Products
Dairy products are another saliva producer. Plus, calcium is found in cheese and milk which is a vital property to keep your enamel strong. This is known as enamel remineralization, meaning the minerals your enamel needs are put back to the teeth. Dairy such as cheese and milk should be consumed moderately.
Fluoride Water And Fluids
Fluoridated drinking water or any other fluids containing fluoride helps to strengthen your teeth and enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay and reduces acid and bacteria build-up inside the mouth. Fluoride liquids have been proven to reduce tooth decay significantly, and it should be consumed daily as part of your diet.
Salmon
Salmon is a type of fatty fish which contains omega-3s and is a strong source of vitamin D. Both help your body absorb calcium so that it can protect your enamel and strengthen your teeth. Salmon is also a high source of protein.
Are You Eating The Right Foods?
If your diet contains sugars and starch, then your oral health is naturally going to be impacted. Sugar and starch are two properties that harmful bacteria feed off, and when you experience tooth decay, your natural smile will begin to degrade, and you’ll need to fork out for expensive cosmetic treatment to resurrect your smile. Therefore, start looking after your teeth by regularly brushing and flossing and maintaining a balanced diet with foods for strong oral health. If you’re showing signs of gum disease, click here to learn about the foods that can reverse it.
Are you due for a check-up? Alternatively, are you seeking advice on the right foods for strong oral health? Contact our Wollongong dental team today for advice or get yourself checked by our exceptional dentists. Book here now!
