Of all the priorities of a healthy body, eating is the cornerstone of your well-being.
You’re what you eat. No one knows who said it first but it’s one of the truest things anyone’s ever said. You feed yourself to feed your body and that goes for your teeth too.
But wait. When you’re consuming starchy and sugary carbs, you’re feeding the bacteria as well. And these bacteria aren’t the good guys here. They form a thin, sticky film called plaque that corrodes your teeth and gums.
When the plaque forms all over your teeth, the buildup keeps increasing when it comes in contact with the sugary and starchy food. Both combine to make up the acid that erodes the enamel and triggers inflammation in the teeth and gums.
So, you’ve to rush to a dental expert now, get your teeth checked, and maintain your oral health. Though a visit to a dentist can do wonders for your teeth, keeping things right at your end can add some vitality to your teeth. However, it isn’t just the dental day-and-night regimen that could protect your teeth; it’s what you eat.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the good and bad side of foods that you gulp down your GI tract. So let’s take a trip down from the foods to your mouth (including the chopper set inside your mouth).
The Good Foods
1. Water
What’s better than flushing down all food bits and bacteria down the gut? None other than fluorinated water can benefit your oral cavity to the highest extent. When you drink more water, the saliva in your mouth increases in its pH level and covers the entire cavity. Other than its water content, the saliva contains specific proteins and minerals that guard your mouth against the plaque buildup.
For that reason, it’s important to stay hydrated to keep your saliva levels high enough.
2. Dairy
Dairy includes every product produced from the farm-fresh milk, whether be it cheese, yogurt, or any milk-based product. Scientific studies have revealed that consuming dairy increases the salivary potential of tackling with the tooth decay. Chewing cheese allows the release of salivary content. As for yogurt, it contains probiotics that benefit your gums by driving out the cavity-causing bacteria.
Whether its cheese or yogurt, these compounds are high in calcium and proteins, which provide strength to the tooth enamel.
3. Leafy Greens
Leafy greens have a lot to offer to your body. And since they offer something for every part of your body, the list of benefits includes your teeth too. They’re enriched with so many minerals and vitamins that contribute to the betterment of your oral health. They’re rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium, all of which are necessary for the proper health of your oral cavity. Research has revealed that leafy greens also contain folic acid, which is notable for treating gum diseases and ulcers in the mouth.
4. Nuts
Consuming fiber-rich nuts is a great way to protect your teeth from bacterial plaque. They’re packed with calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals that fight the bacteria causing plaque and tooth decay. These are also a healthy alternative to snacks for people with unhealthy eating habits. Nuts like Almonds, cashews, and Brazil nuts also have the quality of making you feel more satiated, hence saving you from craving and excess teeth grinding.
5. Fruits
Nature’s bounties never turn their back on you when it comes to your teeth health. Although fruits are inherently sweet, they’re actually better for the health of your teeth. Fruits are loaded with fiber and water as well as antioxidants that stimulate a protective mechanism in the mouth. The water in these fruits performs the cleansing action, while the sugar balances in the saliva.
The Bad Foods
1. Confectionery and Sugary Snacks
A candy or two seem quite harmless but the damage they induce is quite the culprit and harbinger of many periodontal diseases. Both soft and hard candies pose threats to your mouth and act as slow poison for your teeth and gums. First, these are the main sources of plaque production and teeth erosion. Secondly, when chewing on hard candies can make the teeth crack and chip off and make a case of dental emergency.
2. Carbonated Drinks
Who doesn’t like soda? Most people live on soda than water, which is what makes their oral health prone to multiple oral health disorders. Since they contain large quantities of sugar derivatives, they blanket your teeth with a layer of plaque and slowly erode the enamel of your teeth.
They’re also acidic in nature, due to which your mouth feels dry after gulping down a soda can. Your teeth become discolored, they start eroding, and your saliva keeps on getting acidic in nature. Try a healthier alternative. Try fruit juices!
3. Ice
Ice may be a good choice for relieving muscle pain and swelling, but when it comes to your teeth, the idea of chewing ice isn’t a good option at all. Just because it’s made up of water and doesn’t contain addictive flavoring substances doesn’t mean that it’s all good for your health. Ice is hard and chewing on it can leave your teeth vulnerable and prone to potential damage.
4. Alcohol
It is well-known that alcohol damages the liver and is toxic to the body. It, like the soda, can make your mouth go dry and dehydrate you. Both the conditions leave your mouth susceptible to damage and deterioration in the form of tooth decay and reduced salivary flow. Plus, increased consumption of alcohol leads to risks relating to mouth cancer.
5. Caffeine
Caffeinated drinks are much of a healthy choice, but their excess intake can lead to the severity of existing mouth conditions. When compiled with sugar, these can make your oral cavity run dry and stain your teeth.
In Conclusion
Teeth require as much attention as your other body parts. Incorporating healthy foods in your diet induces maximum benefits for your overall body. But since we sometimes betray the health standards and cheat on the healthy diet, our teeth problems can soar up high enough to make us pay a visit to the dentist. When you consult a dentist that genuinely cares for you, you automatically become inclined to choose healthy alternatives over unhealthy ones.
