Foods That Benefit Your Oral Health

When we’re taking care of our teeth, the usual rag and bone involves brushing our teeth, using floss, and rinsing with mouthwash. While these can go a long way to protecting our dental health, there are additional steps we can take throughout our day that can ensure our smile will always be looking its best. These steps involve our food choices, and they go a lot further than just worrying about avoiding sugars and dark-colored foods. If you want to know what you can do to protect your teeth by improving your diet, you’ll find this information invaluable.

Avoiding The Usual Suspects

Let’s start with the foods you know have always been a problem. While this is going to be review for most of you, there’s nothing wrong with a little reminder to assist us with keeping on the rails. In this rogue’s gallery, you’ll discover enamel biters, gum bleeders, and sticky suspects who do terrible things to our teeth while tantalizing our taste buds.

• Sweet And Sticky –These two characteristics describe what are possibly the worst foods you can choose from. Consider caramels, for instance. On top of being rich in sugars, they also have a consistency that makes them hard to remove and dedicated to destroying your teeth. While brushing after eating them can go a long way to protecting your teeth, they can still leave behind a damaging residue in hard to reach areas.

• Soft Drinks Are Hard On Your Teeth –There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the bubbling fizz of a freshly opened soda, we won’t deny it. Unfortunately, the fizz and sugar combine with citric and phosphoric acid to wage a multi-pronged attack on your teeth. If you care for your teeth, you should make a point of drinking a glass of water after you have a soda. Brushing would be even better while avoiding them entirely is best of all.

The Dietary Heroes of Our Tale

Alright, none of the above should be news to any of you. What may surprise you is that not all foods are villains when it comes to oral health. In fact, the list of foods that are good for your teeth goes beyond dairy.

• Fruits and Vegetables Rich in Fiber –The American Dental Association has identified that fibrous fruits and vegetables have properties that can protect your teeth. Their fibrous nature serves as an ersatz toothbrush that helps scrub away plaque and tartar. They also cause you to salivate more, which is your body’s natural defense against bacteria.

• Fluoride Rich Foods –Toothpaste, mouthwash, and even your tap water all serve to provide you with small amounts of fluoride that can help strengthen your teeth. Did you know that you can also eat seafood to help bolster your fluoride levels? Like we needed a new reason to add fish to our diet.

These are just some of the foods that can help and hurt your oral health. If you’re exploring more options for your diet that can aid in protecting your teeth, call Dr. Deborah Tabb today! Bethesda Family Dentistry is there to help our patients make good dental health choices at every stage of their day. We anticipate seeing you at our office in Bethesda, MD!