Your Diet and Oral Health

At a young age you learn that brushing and flossing are essential for maintaining a clean and healthy smile. These methods in addition to visiting the dentist regularly for cleanings are used to ensure your oral health is at its best, but are there other factors to consider? Aside from cleanings, individuals should eat a well-balanced diet in order to protect themselves from conditions such as gingival inflammation and enamel erosion.

Calcium

Foods: Cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs, fish

If you enjoy coffee, tea, or other acidic beverages and foods, it is especially important to have food high in calcium in your diet. Acidic beverages weaken the enamel on teeth leading to enamel erosion. By eating calcium rich foods, you are adding back in a necessary nutrient to keep your enamel healthy and strong.

Crunchy foods with water

Foods: Apples, celery, carrots

An apple, stalk of celery or carrot a day can keep bacteria away. These foods promote saliva production and are able to sweep away some plaque from the teeth that would otherwise sit undisturbed.

Vitamin C

Foods: Oranges, broccoli, strawberries

Having a diet rich in vitamin C is important for the health of your teeth and gums. When you consume foods with vitamin C you strengthen your blood vessels and keep the lining of your gums healthy.

Vitamin D

Foods: Tuna, salmon, mackerel, egg yolks

Aside from sunlight, your body gets vitamin D from the foods and drinks it consumes. Without vitamin D, you can become susceptible to oral health diseases such as bleeding gums and gum disease.

Antioxidants

Foods: Beans, apples, grapes, nuts

Antioxidants are one of the most important nutrients to monitor for great oral health. They provide protection from bacteria and cell damage. For your oral health, that means it protects against inflammation and periodontal disease.

Your smile requires more than brushing and flossing to stay clean and healthy. While these steps are crucial to oral health, increasing the awareness of the foods and drinks you consume on a daily basis is important too. With proper nutrients, you can have better oral healthy and a smile that reflects it as well.