A Healthy Diet for Healthy Teeth

A Healthy Diet for Healthy Teeth

What you eat is an important component to maintaining a healthy smile.

Did you know that what you eat could be the difference between a healthy, beautiful smile and issues such as decay and gum disease? The foods and drinks you consume have a serious impact on your teeth and gums, so if you want maintain the very best oral health then here are the foods that you should eat more often and foods that you should nix from your diet.

What You Drink Matters

While it might be more fun to drink sodas, sports drinks, fruit juices and other beverages they can wreak havoc on a healthy smile. You wouldn’t believe all the sugar that’s in a lot of these drinks. Sugar is one of the leading causes of decay, so you’ll want to avoid sugar as much as possible if you want to prevent cavities. We know it isn’t as fun a choice but fluoridated water is actually the very best thing you could drink to maintain a healthy smile.

The fluoride found in most tap water can help to restrengthen enamel and protect it from acid attacks that can occur due to eating too much sugar.

What a Smile-Friendly Diet Looks Like

If you want to stave off decay and gum disease then you’ll certainly want to avoid processed foods and sugar. We know that people lead busy lives and sometimes the only food one can get comes from a fast food window, but it’s important to avoid these foods as much as possible. While it’s not realistic to assume that you will stay away from sugar and processed foods altogether, limiting it whenever possible will go a long way to protecting your teeth and gums.

What can you eat instead? There are so many wonderful food choices out there that can benefit your smile. It’s important that you get the vitamins and nutrients you need to maintain healthy teeth, gums and bone. You will want to add low-fat dairy products to your daily diet. Milk, yogurt and cheese are great for your smile because they contain calcium and phosphorus, which promote strong, healthy bones. And if you aren’t much of a milk drinker, that’s okay. You can still find calcium in other delicious foods like edamame, kale, broccoli and figs, just to name a few.

Your diet should also contain a hearty helping of fruits and fibrous vegetables. Don’t skimp on these foods. Crunchy, crisp carrots and apples make perfect snacks and can even help to keep teeth clean in between brushings. Plus, crunching down on these foods also promote the production of saliva, which can help wash away acid from tooth enamel, as well as food particles and plaque.

Other foods to enjoy include lean meats and foods like sweet potatoes or red peppers, which are high in vitamin C. Plus, the more of these healthy foods that you incorporate into your diet the better you’ll feel and the more satiated you’ll feel. Perhaps you won’t even miss those sugary treats.

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