Many people are taking care of their diet in order to lose excess weight or to build lean muscle mass. And that is very good. But very few people adopt certain healthy eating habits because of dental health. And dental health is equally important, if not more important.
The reason why dental health is so important is that many diseases can be caused by problems in your mouth. These problems can range from gastrointestinal to sinus problems and more. And the diet of today’s people is generally very bad for the well-being of teeth and gums. Plaque is a transparent film that, in contact with sugar, creates an acid that damages the enamel very quickly. To help you pay attention not only to your muscles, but also to even more important things like teeth and gums, we will present you the best and worst foods for your teeth.
Best foods
1. Cheese
All cheese lovers will be delighted by this information. The reason cheese is so good for your teeth is because it contains a lot of calcium. And just like your bones, your teeth also need a lot of calcium to be strong and not break easily. There is one more thing why all dentists recommend cheese. Certain ingredients in cheese are useful for balancing pH, which directly leads to a reduction in acids, which we have already mentioned as the main cause of tooth decay.
2. Diary products
Cheese is also a dairy product, but we singled it out because people love it the most. But we want to inform you that milk, yogurt and all other diary products are not equally healthy. They also contain a lot of calcium and various minerals that not only protect the teeth, but even restore the enamel. So it is even advised not to wash your teeth right after drinking yogurt for example, but to leave it for at least 30 minutes. That will have very good impact on your teeth.
3. Tea
All types of tea are very beneficial for gums, and also many types of tea are good for teeth as well. Black and green tea stand out in particular as best ones for this purpose. They contain substances that act to kill bacteria, naturally of course. And they also create such an environment in the mouth that they do not allow further growth of bacteria, even if they do not kill them. All this makes tea very good and should be drunk every day. Also, it is recommended to rinse the mouth with sage tea.
4. Fruits
While you may be surprised that fruit is among the good foods because it contains a lot of sugar, several types of fruit are very beneficial. First of all, apples, for which dentists will often tell that they can replace brushing your teeth if you are not currently able to have a toothbrush and toothpaste. This happens primarily because it will increase the secretion of saliva, but also because of its composition serves to restore enamel. Increased salivation is very important, because it serves to clean the mouth. Strawberries are recommended because of the malic acid they contain, as it helps whiten teeth. Of course, don’t expect white teeth like when you whiten them at the dentist, but if you only want a few shades, strawberries are very good. If you want to have completely white teeth, then you will need to schedule a visit to the dentist. According to the dentists from Bridgewater dental care, it can be done in just a week.
Worst foods
1. Citrus fruits
However, not all fruits are healthy for your teeth. Citrus fruits, which has many benefits for our health, is still very harmful to the teeth. Oranges, lemons and all other citrus fruits contain a lot of acid, which you feel while eating them. This is what damages the enamel, which can lead to tooth decay. This does not mean that you should eliminate this fruits which contain a lot of vitamins from the diet, just know that you have to brush immediately after consumption.
2. Candies and sweets
You are probably already used to finding candies and sweets on all the lists of harmful foods, so you will not be surprised to find them here too. All of this contains a lot of sugar, which is the biggest culprit for the problems in our mouths, along with all the other problems it causes. Sour candies are especially harmful, because in addition to having sugar and acid, they also stick to teeth and are very difficult to remove. Caramel has a similar negative effect because it is very sticky, and saliva has a hard time breaking it down. So it will stay on your teeth for a long time. The electric toothbrush is the only effective one in removing caramel residues.
3. Alcohol
Everything that makes our mouths dry is bad, including alcohol, which always leads to dehydration. And as we have already said, the importance of saliva is very great. And especially harmful is wine, which is otherwise far healthier for our body than other types of alcohol. But when we talk about teeth, then that is not the case. This will surely disappoint all cheese and wine lovers, who hoped that their two favorite things were ideal for their teeth. But it’s just cheese, while with wine that’s not the case. Red wine especially destroys enamel, but white wine isn’t much better either. The reason for this is the acids they contain. Of course, if you brush immediately after drinking one or two glasses, nothing bad will happen and you will not have enamel stains from it.
4. Ice
Ice is not harmful if it is in a drink, although of course there should not be too cold drinks. But many chew ice when the days are hot and it is an ideal way to damage your enamel and open the way for bacteria. This is something that should absolutely be avoided because it is too hard to chew.
Conclusion:
These are some of the most common foods that do good or bad to our teeth. Needless to say, soft drinks, which are literally liquid sugars, should be avoided. And coconut oil is increasingly used for gums recovery and whitening, so you should rinse your mouth with it. This is in line with ancient Indian medicine.
