Good Diet = Healthy Teeth

Dentists will always remind you that brushing and flossing makes for a healthy smile, but maintaining a healthy diet can also contribute to the well-being of your teeth. Most people know that carbonated sodas, fruit juices, and sugary snacks can be harmful to teeth but don't think about that fact that other foods including milk, bread and some vegetables also contain sugar which can lead to tooth decay. Exposing teeth to the additional sugars found in snacks and junk food can be particularly harmful to teeth. When you eat foods that contain sugar, bacteria in the mouth are provided with the nutrients they need to grow, reproduce, and in turn create enamel-eating acids that can attack the teeth. So, the key to preventing tooth and gum decay is to limit the amount of time sugary foods are in the mouth.

Snacking can be extremely destructive to teeth especially when the snack is high in sugar content. The more often you snack, the more your teeth are exposed to the tooth decay cycle. If you must snack, eat foods that are low in carbohydrates and sugar such as nuts, raw vegetables, cheese, and sugarless gum or candy while avoiding foods like chips, cookies or crackers. When eating foods high in sugars or carbohydrates, eat them with your meal instead of by themselves. This helps neutralize acids in the mouth and slows decay.

To maintain healthy teeth, your well-balanced diet should include:

• Plenty of calcium-rich foods
• Fruits and vegetables which contain vitamins A and C
• Tea and water which are good sources of fluoride
• Meats, cheeses, nuts, and milk which are believed to help protect tooth enamel by providing the fluoride and phosphorus needed to remineralize teeth
• Firm/crunchy fruits and vegetables that have a high water content to dilute the effects of the sugars they contain
• A limited number of sugary foods or snacks