The Relation between Food and Oral Health

You are what you eat. You might have grown up hearing from adults to stay away from candies, sodas and the like. However, have you ever given an in-depth thought as to why you were bound from these treasures?

Our diet, basically what we eat day to day, affects not only our inner body energy but everything inside us from head to toe. In simple words, our diet is what makes us. When we’re taught to lessen our consumption of sugary and acidic food that’s because the sugar we intake attacks our teeth and in turn produces an acid that is responsible for many tooth diseases mainly contributing to tooth decay and gum diseases.

Our diet plays a major role in our oral health. Hence it is our responsibility to take care of our teeth and provide them with the proper nutrition so that they last as long as we do. For that, it is essential to know which foods are a big no and which ones can give your teeth the nutrition they require to keep all thirty-two of them munching. For more information on dental care and oral health you can visit https://www.callfamilyfirst.com/.

Bad Foods

Here is a list of foods that are proven to deteriorate your oral health and should be consumed in very low quantities if not avoided completely.

 

  • Candies: A no-brainer, candies are your teeth’s worst nemesis. Candies have an insane amount of sugar packed inside them which again, attacks your teeth to initiate tooth decay. Moreover, these little bundles of childhood joy get stuck in different areas and gaps of teeth, making it easier for them to do their attacking job.
  • Bread: While bread forms a predominant part in our daily diet considering bread is every breakfaster’s go-to anywhere in the world it is still prone to being a teeth destroyer. Bread is a major starch supplier and starch dissolves into sugar when chewed by our munchers. Hence, bread isn’t safe from an oral health criticism’s point of view either. To save your teeth, switch to whole-wheat bread instead that’s a lesser-sugar alternative.
  • Alcohol: You must’ve heard “drink to forget your worries” or some other form of this quote. We’ve all hear the disadvantages of alcohol and how it mainly affects our liver, but many fail to realize that alcohol affects every internal system of your body in some way or another and this includes your oral health as well. Alcohol dehydrates your saliva and saliva is a major contributor to helping wash away remaining food particles as well as neutralizes the acids in your mouth.
  • Sodas and Energy Drinks: While the produce and consumption of these products increases day by day globally, both of these are guilty for common oral health issues. Sodas and energy drinks have an ample amount of sugar and acids in them leading to tooth decay and gum diseases. But the damages don’t stop there; these substances especially dark colored sodas and energy drinks are also a cause for staining of teeth from an early age.
  • Ice: Ice as a tooth damager may come as a shock since it is only water solidified, right? What harm could it possibly do? However, ice or any other hard substance when tried to be chewed can ultimately harm your teeth by and weaken it by the core that being the enamel. The enamel, once weakened will lead to your teeth falling out before time.

 

 

Good Foods

Some types of food can also strengthen your teeth and keep a maintained overall oral health as well. Here is a list of foods you should try incorporating in your daily diet.

    • Cheese: The heavenly cheese we use for the pleasures of our taste buds whether it’s for extra pizza toppings, mozzarella cheese sticks or even a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Although cheese being a dairy cow product does have the natural sugar lactose present in it, it proves to be more beneficial for our teeth than harmful. Cheese contains calcium and calcium is what strengthens and repairs damaged enamel. Another plus point is its role in increasing the stimulation of saliva in the mouth.
    • Leafy Greens: Leafy greens include green leafy vegetables such as spinach and lettuce. Most of us still run from these nutrients and consider them as ‘diet-only food’. However, leafy greens are a main nutrient source and are especially known for being fiber enriched. This makes them a helpful component in maintaining your dental health and cleaning as well as neutralizing your mouth.
    • Green Tea: Green tea not only helps in increasing metabolism but also strengthens your teeth. Now you might be thinking how? Green tea contains bacteria and disease fighting antioxidants in it which fights against substances that may cause tooth decay and weakening of the enamel. So why not add green tea to your daily diet intake for a fitter body and oral health!

 

  • Yogurt: If you don’t know this yet, yogurt is made by adding healthy bacteria to milk. Yes, bacteria doesn’t always infuse harm and can be good for our heath too, yogurt being an example. The good bacteria inside yogurt help protect your teeth and prevent oral diseases. Another beneficial factor is that yogurt also allows prevention of bad breath.

 

If you were a little late on these tips and the damage has already been done or even if you require a simple annual dental checkup, why not go for the best dental option in the tristate area. Call Family First is a dental clinic in Deschutes Avenue being one of its situated areas where we have twenty-five years of on-hand experience. Our professional team of dental experts tends to every need of yours while making you feel like family.