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A Healthy Diet for Healthy Teeth

A lot of people assume that a good toothbrush, floss, and annual dental visits are the key to healthy and clean teeth. These things are without a doubt important, but there’s more to maintaining oral hygiene.

One of the most often overlooked steps to enviable pearly whites is your diet.

Everything you put into your mouth affects your teeth. Some food and drinks have extremely damaging effects, while others can help to strengthen and whiten your teeth.

Lucky for you, we’re here to educate you on which ones you should start including in your diet!

1. Sugar Substitutes

Sugar is one of the worst-offenders when it comes to attacking oral health. If you can’t resist your sweet tooth, you should consider substituting sugar with sugar-free substitutes. They taste similar, but don’t work the same way sugar does to feed the bacteria in your mouth.
Some of the most common substitute ones include:

• Aspartame
• Mannitol
• Acesulfame Potassium
• Neotame
• Sucralose

Another popular natural sweetener to hit the mainstream lately is Stevia, which comes in both a liquid and powder form making it an easy substitute to add to drinks and food.

2. Sugar-Free Gum

Gum with a high sugar content is awful for your teeth, but the sugar-free variety can actually improve dental health!

The act of chewing in itself helps to loosen food particles that are stuck in teeth, and also promotes the production of saliva which balances the mouth’s acidity. Instead of exposing your teeth to sugar contact for long periods of time, chew a sugar-free, whitening gum instead. Your dentist can recommend trusted brands for you to switch to!

3. Dairy and Dairy-substitutes

Everybody knows milk is good for the bones, but not everyone is aware that it’s just as good for the teeth! The high calcium content of milk helps to prevent periodontal (gum) disease, and also strengthens the jaw.

4. Wild Salmon (or other Vitamin D rich food)

Wild salmon is very high in Vitamin D, and Vitamin D is a close friend of calcium. The more Vitamin D you consume, the easier it is for your body to absorb the calcium you need to keep your gums healthy and your jaw strong, much like milk does.

5. Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and veggies are high in many nutrients—especially Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to maintain and strengthen the connective tissue that keeps your teeth in place. It also reduces inflammation, which can slow the progress of gingivitis and other gum diseases.

Be sure to stop keep these suggestions in mind next time you’re at the grocery store!

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