We at Kiefer Family Dental have always said that taking care of your teeth isn’t difficult. In fact, did you know that you can even help clean your teeth while you eat? According to the American Dental Association, healthy eating patterns and food choices can help prevent tooth decay.
Does Food Impact My Teeth?
Eating whole grains in low-sugar bread and cereals or fruits and vegetables and quality protein are the best foods for a healthy mouth. Fruits and vegetables are beneficial because chewing firm, coarse, watery, and fibrous foods help you produce saliva, removing leftover food particles.
Best Foods for Your Teeth
According to the ADA, many healthy foods help your teeth stay strong and help your mouth clear bacteria and acid from your teeth. Even if you can’t eat all these because of allergies or sensitivities, there are still lots of other options:
- Yogurt & cheeses
- Carrots, celery, and leafy greens
- Apples
- Black & green teas
- Lean proteins
- Nuts
Why Dairy Products Good for Your Teeth
Dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and milk encourage your body to produce more saliva, protecting your teeth. Secondly, cheese and yogurt are high in calcium and protein, which helps strengthen your teeth. Also, yogurt contains probiotics, or beneficial bacteria, for your digestive system.
Just remember to choose unsweetened or sugar-free yogurt and add a touch of sweetener or honey yourself. Suppose you are sensitive or allergic to dairy. In that case, you can find calcium- and protein-fortified nut milk like almond, soy, or cashew milk.
Leafy Greens Are Good Too
Vegetables should be number one in your diet because they have many health benefits without being heavy or calorie-dense. Vegetables provide vitamins and minerals and help you produce saliva to clean your mouth and keep enamel healthy.
Leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, or collard greens are full of vitamins and minerals while being low in calories. If you don’t go too heavy on the dressings or toppings, you could eat as many leafy greens as you want! Leafy greens are high in calcium, folic acid, and B vitamins, which help your health. You can easily add these leafy greens can to a salad or smoothie.
Why Apples, Carrots, and Celery Help Your Teeth
If you have a sweet tooth, don’t eat a candy bar, eat an apple instead. Apples provide hydration and fiber for your body. By replacing sugary treats with apples, you’re promoting good saliva production. Celery helps clean your teeth because the texture can scrape leftover food particles and bacteria away from your teeth.
Carrots and celery are great sources of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Add raw carrots to a salad, or enjoy some baby carrots as a snack as well.
What About Snacks and Sweets?
Typical snack foods are high in sugar. Frequent eating of these foods increases the amount of time you expose your teeth to the harmful effects of sugar while decreasing saliva’s ability to neutralize tooth-damaging acids. Bacteria uses sugar as a fuel that gets converted into acid. This means that those foods will continue to harm your teeth long after you have finished eating them.
When deciding on a snack, opt for some of the foods mentioned like almonds, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.
We at Kiefer Family Dental hope that this information about the best foods for your teeth was helpful. Perhaps you learned something you didn’t know that was detrimental to your oral health. The office of Kiefer Family Dental provides the best in modern dentistry for individuals and families should you have any problems from the list.
Our highly-qualified dentists and gentle hygienists work hard to combine knowledge and skill with the latest in technology to give our patients the best possible dental outcomes. With services ranging from periodontal therapy, oral surgery. dental implants, dentures and even being set up for Invisalign clear braces, Kiefer Family Dental is your Evansville, Indiana A+ dental choice. Call (812) 424-9506 or use the website to book an appointment online.
