A Diet For Healthier And Stronger Teeth
Useful, tooth friendly dietary advice for our Canterbury patients.
We all have different preferences when it comes to what we eat and drink. Some like it spicy and some like their food more simple and plain. Whatever type of diet we eat though, we still need to get the necessary nutrients from our food to keep our bodies in good health, and while we might not think about it while we are eating, this applies to our teeth as well.
In today’s blog, we will look not only at foods and drinks that are best avoided by our patients at Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic, but also at the type of foods that you should eat to help ensure that your teeth and gums have a good chance of remaining healthy for years to come.
First of all, let us take a look at the food and drinks that are best avoided or moderated.
Avoid or minimise these foods and drinks
One of the key foods to avoid or at least reduce as much as possible is, of course, sugar. Too much sugar is well known to be a destructive factor when it comes to our teeth. Unfortunately, these days, sugar is found very widely in the food industry. From the sugar that we add to our tea or coffee to that found in sweets, chocolates and cakes, it is everywhere. A quick look at a packet of a ready meal will usually indicate sugar is added to savoury foods as well.
Where possible, make your own food with natural ingredients so that you can reduce your sugar intake significantly. If not, then make a conscious effort to do what you can to cut your usage down.
Sugar isn’t the only issue though and acidic foods are also a problem for our teeth, especially if used in excess. Perhaps the worst culprits are those found in fizzy sports or energy drinks, but most soft drinks include them to give them a sharper taste. Unfortunately, these acids, when they come into contact with our teeth, gradually erode the enamel that protects them. This makes the teeth more vulnerable to problems like decay and root canal infections.
Having cut down on these foods then, what should we eat and drink to assist better oral health?
Tooth friendly food and drinks
The most well known food group to help us have strong and healthy teeth are dairy foods. These include milk, yoghurts, cheese and other milk related products. Eggs are sometimes included in this group too.
The main benefit that we get from these is calcium which is essential for strong tooth enamel. Most also include elements that help to reduce bacteria in our mouth as well. Cheese is an excellent way of balancing the acidity in our mouth by eating a small amount to finish off a meal.
Leafy green vegetables
Adding more greens to your diet is a great way of increasing your calcium intake and may be especially useful for those that don’t eat dairy, such as vegans. In addition to calcium, they also provide folic acid, an important B vitamin which will help to keep your gums healthy.
Apples, celery etc
Any crunchy fruit or vegetable is a great way of helping to keep your teeth clean naturally. This doesn’t negate the need for brushing and flossing of course but can certainly help to remove food particles in between these times. In addition to this, they contain water and will help you to stay hydrated, an important factor for healthy gums.
Fatty fish
These include the likes of salmon and mackerel which are well known to be healthy for us generally. They supply a good quantity of vitamin D which helps us to absorb calcium, an essential ingredient for both teeth and gums.
Lean proteins
White meats such as chicken are a reasonably healthy way to attain the proteins we need for a healthy diet. They also provide phosphorus which combines with calcium to keep our teeth strong and healthy.
Water
Finally, you should never underestimate the importance of water. Drinking plenty of water is a great way of helping to avoid gum disease but also helps to flush away food remnants from between our teeth.
We hope that this guide proves useful for patients of our Canterbury dentists and gives you some (healthy) food for thought next time you are in the supermarket. A healthy tooth friendly diet combined with regular oral care at home and at Bradley and Partners Dental Implant Clinic will help you have healthy teeth and gum for some years to come.
If you require an appointment with us for a check up or a dental problem, you can call our friendly team on 01227 463529.