Types Of Foods That Are Good For Your Oral Health

The health of your mouth, teeth, and gums is important. It’s not just good to have strong teeth and gums, but your whole body benefits from having a healthy mouth. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy prevent not only infections in the mouth, but infections elsewhere in the body, and diseases. The benefits of good oral health clearly and provably extend to the rest of the body. In order to aid the health conscious, here is a list of types of foods that are good for your teeth and gums.

Where does tooth decay come from?

The vast majority of tooth decay comes from plaque. Plaque is a bacterial build up on the teeth. This sticky film eats sugars, and processes them into acids. These acids can corrode the enamel of your teeth, and cause gum disease like gingivitis. In general, foods that don’t contribute much plaque, or clean it up, are the best.

Cheese

If you already liked cheese, here are a few more reasons. Not only is cheese rich in bone-building calcium, it also helps raise the pH balance of the mouth. The pH balance is a scale that goes from 0 (being the most acidic food), to 14, (being the most basic, or alkaline). A pH of 7 is neutral, for example: mineral water. Cheese makes your mouth more basic, so it helps negate the damage done to the teeth by acids. Finally, the casein protein in cheese repairs enamel. Read the label when you buy cheese to ensure that it is the kind with high calcium.

Greens

Spinach, lettuce, celery, broccoli, and other greens pack a powerful 2-part punch. Firstly, they are high in vitamins. These vitamins — like calcium — can repair tooth enamel. B vitamins in leafy greens can also help repair gum damage.

The other benefit from eating greens is that they are high in fiber. High-fiber foods require a lot of chewing. Chewing produces saliva which washes away plaque, clears debris from teeth and gums, and helps neutralize the pH balance in your mouth.

Greens also have numerous other health benefits for the whole body. They are low in calories, low in sugars, low in toxins, and fiber is good for the digestive system too.

Apples

Similar to greens, the high fiber and water content of apples helps wash out your mouth. You produce more saliva chewing, and the apple itself releases water. The apple’s fibrous texture also stimulates the gums and lightly scrubs the teeth.

Yogurt

Similar to cheese, Yogurt is high in calcium. Yogurt also has probiotics. Probiotics are bacteria that are alive. These live bacteria can coat the teeth and gums. Doing so, they stop the bacteria that cause cavities from reaching and living in the mouth. Many yogurts have sugar added, or are mixed with other ingredients. For the best benefit to your teeth, eat plain, unsweetened yogurt.

Carrots

Carrots function a lot like apples. They increase saliva production, washing the mouth free of plaque and gingivitis causing bacteria. Carrots are rich in vitamin A as well has having high fiber levels.

Salmon

Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium — the element which restores tooth enamel. The omega-3s on the other hand, help prevent gum disease, and keep the tooth rooted in the mouth. Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent periodontis, a disease caused by bacteria building up at the gum line. Omega-3 can act as an anti-inflammatory for the gums.

Celery

Celery presents several great ways to keep the teeth healthy. Not only is it a leafy green, high in minerals, but it is a fibrous vegetable. The fiber helps with saliva production and cleansing the mouth after eating. The minerals from the celery can restore tooth and gum health. Finally, celery is chock-full of water, which neutralizes the mouth’s pH and washes out bacteria and debris.

Almond butter and Almonds

Almonds are a good source of calcium. They are also high in protein, and low in sugar. Raw almonds, like a lot of hard foods, can be tough on teeth. Almond butter however, is full of calcium, protein, and it’s easy on the enamel.

Green Tea

Green tea is full of health benefits, for the teeth, and body as a whole. Green tea is composed largely of flavonoids, and also has many anti-oxidants. These anti-oxidants, called catechins, are powerful and reduce gum swelling and inflammation. Green tea also prevents build up of some harmful bacteria associated with tooth and gum diseases.

Some people believe that green tea stains the teeth, but actually, it stains the plaque on the teeth. If the plaque is not cleaned off, it hardens and becomes tartar.

Read more about green tea’s many health benefits here.

Taking Care of Your Oral Health

Of course, diet alone isn’t the only thing you can do to take better care of yourself. The basics of good oral hygiene involve a few rules.

• Brush 2-3 times per day. Brush the gums, and all sides of the teeth. Spend at least 3 minutes each time you brush.
• Floss before bed. This removes debris between the teeth and from the gum lines.
• Eat healthfully. Try to get plenty of the foods mentioned above. Avoid processed sugars and carbohydrates.
• Visit your dentist regularly. Do a check-up at least twice a month.

If you are in the Carrollton, Texas area, feel free to drop by Josey Lane Dentistry for your dental needs. We would be happy to answer your diet questions, schedule a check-up, or much more. Contact us today, and we will be happy to help.