8 Best Food For Your Teeth – Oral Health

We all know about the usual method to take care of our teeth: brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and visiting your dentist every six months. But what else can we do?

Well aside from dental hygiene, your diet is the biggest contributor to your oral health, and sometimes it has more impact than a lack of brushing and flossing.

We always hear about foods that are bad for your teeth. Candies, Soda, and other foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates are well known to be bad for your teeth causing cavities and other dental problems.

Why does this happen? Some of these carbohydrates are hanging out in your mouth after you eat them, even if you can’t see them. These sugars can be eaten by the bacteria that live in your mouth, and turn them into ACIDs that damage your teeth. These ACIDs are the cause of cavities and tooth decay.

So we know that carbohydrates are bad for your teeth, but some carbs are worst than others. Simple, refined carbohydrates like chips, bread, and crackers are some of the worst carbohydrates since they are easily digested by the bacteria in your mouth.

Some even say that these starchy foods are even worse for you than candies. that’s because they tend to stick around more in your mouth, giving more time to bacteria to eat and reproduce.

So if you are looking for foods that are actually good for your teeth, they would have the opposite of these qualities. Meaning it wouldn’t feed the bacteria in your mouth, and not stick around very long.

So what are the best foods for your teeth?

Most of the foods on this list are going to be natural, unsweetened, unprocessed, and unpackaged. Also, most of the foods that are healthy for your teeth will typically require heavier biting and chewing. So they’re usually firmer more fibrous and more crunchy.

cheese and yogurt

Calcium is crucial for healthy bone and tooth development and the foods that are most rich in calcium are dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt.

Sharp cheeses such as cheddar can also neutralize acidic PH levels to promote a healthier oral environment that reduces your chance of tooth decay. For example, let’s say you’re eating cheese and crackers, you should always try to have a piece of cheese to be the last thing in your mouth to help neutralize the PH in your mouth from the crackers which are super bad for your teeth.

As for yogurt plain and sugar-free, greek yogurts tend to be the best and healthiest for your tooth enamel. You can’t be eating sugary cotton candy yogurts thinking they are healthy for your teeth, they are not. Sugar-free is key.

Also, the natural probiotics found in yogurt can also assist in stabilizing healthy oral floral levels in your mouth by promoting balanced levels of good bacteria and reducing the bad ones.

carrots

Carrots require physical biting and crunching which is stimulating and healthy for gum tissues because they physically wipe away the plaque when you’re eating them.

Plus they’re rich in Vitamin A as well as keratin which is great for healthy skin gums and teeth. Carrots also contain several different types of ‘vitamin B’ which also helps with having healthier gums.

Leafy Greens

Fresh leafy greens contain Folic Acid which can help fight gum disease and are a great source of calcium like we said earlier with dairy products calcium helps with tooth development.

Leafy greens strengthen your teeth and help you cut back on your cavity risk while also naturally reducing plaque levels inside your mouth.

Produce like lettuce and swiss chard tend to contain a naturally higher content of fluoride which is a natural mineral good for your teeth. Collard greens, broccoli, and kale have the highest amounts of calcium and some greens are best eaten raw but if you prefer to cook them for taste and texture you’ll still get plenty of nutritional benefits.

apples

An apple a day keeps the dentist away. Like carrots eating apples provides your teeth and gums with crunchy fibrous stimulation that naturally reduces plaque buildup inside of your mouth.

If you’re looking for a snack that is both portable and good food for teeth apples are a smart pick. Every time you eat an apple or other produce the chewing and crunching actions stimulate saliva production. This increased saliva actually neutralizes acids flushes away bacteria and lowers your rate of tooth decay overall.

Green tea

Teeth-strengthening foods don’t necessarily have to be something that you eat, they can also be something that you drink and Green tea is one example.

It contains natural antimicrobial agents that limit and possibly even destroy the bad bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay, plus green tea has natural fluoride as well which helps remineralize weak tooth enamel to reverse the decay process. Just keep in mind that green tea also contains tannins that might contribute to tooth staining, you can’t win them all.

lean proteins

Fish, poultry, eggs, and similar protein-rich foods contain phosphorus which is great for teeth. Bonus, fish is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which can help make your mouth more resistant to periodontal infections and tissue detachment.

Studies show that eating fish or taking omega-3 supplements could help your gums heal more quickly during gum disease treatments. Some of the top fish products with the highest omega-3 levels are mackerel, salmon, and cod liver oil.

nuts and seeds

Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and flax seeds including flaxseed oil are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids which again may be known to help promote healthy gum tissues and combat periodontal disease.

Try to stick with dry roasted, plain, or lightly salted nuts instead of the ones that are flavored or candied. You don’t want to counteract the good impact they make with unnecessary added sweeteners and sugars

Chocolate

You are getting excited. Yes, it’s chocolate, but don’t get too excited because not every chocolate is good for your teeth, not every chocolate is created equal. Some chocolates are better than others. Dark chocolate is the one you want.

Typically dark chocolate candies have less sugar in them and it is also considered a natural antioxidant which makes it what a lot of people refer to as a superfood. The complex molecular component of dark chocolate is thought to do everything from helping prevent cancer to assisting in weight loss.

Bonus!

Before we end this article, we can’t mention good things without reminding everyone that water is the absolute best thing for your teeth. Especially, when you don’t have time to brush your teeth after eating.

Always try to rinse with water after every meal so the food especially if it’s unhealthy food doesn’t sit on your teeth for a prolonged period of time because that can increase your chance of getting cavities and gum disease.

Simply swishing with water helps neutralize the PH in your mouth so like we said it is always recommended to swish with water or drink water after every time you eat or drink any other beverage.

The rule of thumb is to remember that when you’re trying to find out which food is best for your teeth just remember if it’s bad for your body it’s probably bad for your teeth too.