Maintaining good dental care is crucial when it comes to healthy living. Therefore, you need to think about what you eat or drink and when to do so. Ensuring you maintain good oral health isn't complex. All you need is to establish a routine of care and eat healthily. Brushing and flossing your teeth is vital for keeping teeth healthy. You should eat right to protect and promote your oral health.

The best part is that you can promote your oral health by eating healthy and at the recommended time. Make a regular pattern of taking meals at the recommended time and ensure you take food to promote healthy teeth and prevent tooth decay. It's important to avoid food that helps in plaque build-up, as these foods will contribute to tooth decay and be detrimental to your overall dental health.

You should note that the food you take will impact your dental health and your overall well-being. It's advisable to maintain a balanced diet and avoid snacking between meals. If you are under medications, remember to always refer to your doctor's diet and oral health recommendations. This article explains particular food you should include in your diet, which will assist your teeth. These are:

Taking a Lot of Water

Drinking a lot of water throughout the day is essential as it hydrates your body and helps it to function correctly. Apart from these benefits, drinking plenty of water daily also helps your dental health in the following ways:

● Helps in Plaque Removal

When you take your food, there are some leftover particles between your teeth and under your tongue. When you don't brush after your meals, the leftovers will help bacteria thrive in your mouth. The bacteria help break down the leftover food particles forming an acidic substance that will wear your enamel down and give your mouth bad breath. Taking water often will help in washing away these leftovers and, in so doing, prevent tooth decay in your mouth.

You should minimize taking other beverages like soda and make a habit of taking water for good oral health.

● Helps in Strengthening Your Enamel

Besides cleaning your mouth, water helps strengthen your enamel by containing fluoride. Fluoride is essential in enamel strengthening as it helps in remineralizing it when it is damaged. Additionally, drinking water regularly will help prevent tooth decay. The fluoride in the water keeps your enamel strong, preventing it from being harmed by bacteria and the acid they help form.

● Helps Increase Saliva Production

Saliva is essential in cleaning your mouth, and a decrease in its production could be detrimental to your oral health. A reduction in saliva production can be due to medication or medical conditions. When your saliva level decreases, you will realize that you are a potential candidate for tooth decay, foul mouth odor, and gum diseases as the mouth cannot clean itself. Additionally, a decrease in saliva production often leads to a dry mouth, which can be very uncomfortable. Therefore, drinking plenty of water will help saliva production address this issue. When you take water regularly, you will assist in cleaning your mouth, thereby preventing wound formation that is due to a dry mouth which can be very uncomfortable.

Include Whole Grains in Your Diet

Whole grains are popularly known to have substantial health benefits, especially when it comes to heart health, cancer, and reducing the risk of obesity in a person. Taking the recommended amount of whole grains in your diet will also protect your dental health. When you include whole grains in your diet, you will have essential minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, which will ensure you maintain healthy dental work.

● B Vitamins

Most whole grains contain a variety of vitamins, especially B, which is vital in lowering the risk of having mouth sores, and at the same time, helps in fighting mouth odors. Some B vitamins help in fighting cavity formation leaving you with a healthy smile.

● Vitamin E

Vitamin E reduces inflammation, which is crucial when fighting any gum disease. Therefore, when you include whole grains in your diet, you reduce inflammation in your mouth, preventing the risk of gum disease development.

● Magnesium

Magnesium works together with calcium to ensure strong teeth and strengthen your enamel. A strong enamel protects your teeth from decay and bacteria infection.

Always Include Vegetables in Your Diet

Most vegetables require a lot of chewing, which is beneficial to your teeth and overall dental health in that it increases the flow of saliva in your mouth. Vegetables contain vitamin C, which is essential in ensuring you have excellent dental health as it helps keep your gums healthy. You can obtain vitamin C from leafy vegetables like spinach, kales, and broccoli. Other vegetables like carrots are crunchy and contain a lot of water which will help clean your teeth remove leftover particles and at the same time help in the production of saliva.

The water in the vegetables helps in increasing saliva production. An increase in the level of saliva in your mouth will help in ensuring it's always clean. Bacteria thrive where there is plaque build-up, and if you include these crunchy veggies in your diet, you will ensure your mouth is free from plaque build-up and bad breath. Including these vegetables in your diet will be beneficial to your oral and overall health:

● Leafy Greens

Examples of leafy greens are kales and spinach, among others. These leafy greens will provide calcium, folic acid, minerals, iron, and vitamins essential for healthy gums and teeth. When you take some of these leafy greens, whether, in salads or sandwiches, you will be assisting your mouth in its cleaning duty. Leafy greens will provide B vitamin, which is essential to your oral health and promotes cell growth in your mouth. When purchasing greens, you should note that you go for the darker leaves as they have more nutrients. Other nutrients found on the leafy greens are vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, beta carotene, and magnesium. PhosPhorus helps your teeth absorb magnesium and calcium stored in your bones and teeth, leaving them strong.

● Carrots and Celery

When you include carrots in your diet, they will provide calcium, vitamin C and keratins, all of which are essential to your dental health. When you take the carrot fresh, it will help clean your teeth and gums. Carrots also help produce saliva, which helps wash away any leftover food particles, and minimizes the risk of tooth decay and formation of cavities. Celery, on the other hand, acts like dental floss. Its fibrous and crunchy nature helps in teeth cleaning. Chewing the celery stimulates your gum, increasing the saliva flow rate in your mouth, which washes away food particles from your teeth and gums. Celery and carrots are good sources of beta carotene, which your body requires to help produce vitamin A which strengthens your teeth. To ensure that you have a carrot or celery in your diet, take it as a snack between meals.

Include Fruits in Your Meals

Most fruits contain vitamin C, an oxidant that helps protect soft tissues in your body like gums from bacteria infection and cellular damage. Vitamin C helps ensure that your wounds heal quickly and helps keep your gums healthy. You can derive vitamin C from fruits like apples, pineapples, pears, oranges, cucumbers, strawberries, and grapefruit. It is important to note that even though most citrus fruits provide vitamin C, they contain high acid levels, detrimental to your oral health, and erode your enamel. Always brush your teeth or take some water after taking citric fruits to remove the citric acid from your mouth.

● Berries

Most berries like cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanin helps your dental health in that they prevent bacteria and other pathogens from attaching themselves to your teeth and gums. Cranberry is particularly important to your oral health as it contains polyphenols, a compound that prevents bacteria from forming in your mouth by disrupting the enzymes responsible.

The only disadvantage of taking berries is that their rich colors can stain your teeth unless you brush them after eating them. You can also freeze and make smoothies using berries to avoid teeth staining.

● Pears and Apples

If you have a sweet tooth and are worried about snacking, worry no more. Eating a pear or an apple is good for your teeth and gums as it neutralizes any acid in your mouth, which could lead to cavities and tooth decay. Raw pears are crunchy, which will act like a toothbrush and help in mouth cleaning. Make a habit of taking a pear when you want to snack between meals.

On the other hand, Apples promote healthy teeth as they are fibrous and crunchy, which helps in mouth cleaning and, at the same time, neutralizes any citric acid left behind after eating. Chewing an apple fruit will also stimulate saliva production in your mouth, which helps wash away any leftovers and ensures you have healthy gums.

Though snacking between meals is not advisable, ensure it's with something healthy and sweet like an apple or a pear if you must snack. You should take the fruit and avoid taking its juice which contributes to tooth decay as it contains high sugar levels. Apple juice doesn't offer you the scrubbing effect, which leads to more saliva production in your mouth. Therefore, it is essential to take the fruit and avoid juicing it if possible.

Take A Nut Inclusive Diet

When it comes to taking nuts, you can have almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts, and Brazilian nuts. Nuts provide your body with essential nutrients like phosphorus and calcium. These nutrients help ensure you have strong teeth and help fight bacteria buildup, leading to tooth decay. For instance, when you take cashew nuts, they will help produce saliva, clean your mouth, and remove any leftover particles. Additionally, almonds and peanuts will provide your body with nutrients like calcium essential to healthy gums and teeth. Walnuts will provide iron, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, fiber, and zinc, which are critical in maintaining oral health. Iron is crucial in maintaining excellent dental health as it promotes excellent tongue health.

Eat Meat Regularly

Meat offers a lot of nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, iron, folic acid, potassium, among others. Chewing meat stimulates saliva production in your mouth, which promotes oral health. Taking red meat will benefit you as it contains iron and zinc, which helps your body produce selenium, a powerful antioxidant. Red meat also helps produce saliva and helps remove leftover particles, which decrease the chances of teeth decay and plaque buildup. Eating red meat regularly will strengthen your teeth and help you maintain a bright smile. When you include fish and other white meat in your diet, you will gain essential minerals like phosphorus which protects your enamel.

Include Dairy Products in Your Diet

Including dairy products in your diet will promote excellent oral health. These products include:

● Milk

From a young age, you were taught to take a glass of milk as it will keep your bones strong, and it helps in giving you stronger teeth. Milk contains many minerals, vitamins, and proteins essential to your teeth and gums. The phosphorus and calcium found in the milk assist in strengthening your teeth' enamel, while vitamin D helps absorb these minerals. Vitamin D is very crucial to your oral health as it reduces the risk of inflammation and, at the same time, helps in fighting against gum diseases. Regular milk intake will help protect your enamel as the milk contains proteins that form a protective film on the enamel. Milk also helps prevent tooth decay by containing casein, which fights against tooth decay.

● Cheese

Cheese contains a lot of proteins and calcium, which will help strengthen your teeth and bones. Cheese also stimulates saliva production, which promotes excellent oral health.

● Yogurt

Yogurt contains probiotics, a bacteria that helps in keeping your gums healthy. When taking yogurt, take the plain one as it does not have added sugars which are detrimental to your dental health.

Taking Black, White or Green Tea

If you are a tea lover, it is essential to note that not all tea is good for your teeth. Black, green, or white tea all contain antioxidants that help fight cavities and reduce inflammation levels in your gum. You should avoid taking a lot of black tea as it can stain your teeth over a prolonged time. White tea also provides fluoride, which strengthens your enamel. It is advisable to take tea without sugar as it has adverse effects on your teeth, and if you must have sugar, try adding substitute sugars.

Substitute Sugar with Sugar-Free products

Sugar substitutes taste and look like sugar, and the only difference is that the body digests them differently. The digestion of sugar substitutes does not encourage bacteria to thrive in your mouth, causing tooth decay. Sugar substitutes include mannitol, saccharin, aspartame, isomalt, neotame, sucralose, erythritol, acesulfame, and sorbitol. You can prevent cavities by taking food that contains sugar substitutes like xylitol. Chewing xylitol helps produce and increase saliva flow, which washes away food particles from your mouth. Xylitol also reduces the number of bacteria in your mouth.

Sugarless food means that the manufacturers do not add sugar during the processing, but it could contain natural sweeteners like molasses, honey, fructose, rice syrup, or barley malt. You should note that these natural sweeteners could be harmful to your teeth as they may have the same level of calories as sugar. You will therefore have to be very keen when purchasing sugarless foodstuff. Check whether it contains any natural sweetener on the product label.

Chew Sugarless Gum

According to the American Dental Association(ADA), you should brush after every meal. Sometimes this is not applicable, and you can therefore chew a sugarless gum for about 20 minutes instead. Chewing a piece of sugarless gum will reduce the risk of tooth decay or cavities. Chewing gum helps in increasing the level of saliva production in your mouth, which will wash away any leftover particles.

Contact A Hawthrone Dentist Near Me

Oral health is crucial to your overall health. Eating a balanced diet helps strengthen your teeth, prevents tooth decay and cavities, and ensures you have healthy gums, but it isn't enough. You need to floss regularly and make an effort to improve your diet. You must replace that carbonated drink you love too much with water, change your toothbrush after every three months and also visit your dentist regularly for your check-ups. Your dentist will help you come up with a good diet or recommend a good nutritionist who will assist you in coming up with a plan that is unique to you.

At Ganji Dental, we have professionals who will help you develop a meal plan and advise you on the types of food to promote excellent dental health. Our team will work with you to ensure you achieve a beautiful smile. If you want a qualified dentist in Hawthorne, consider contacting us at 310-643-8045 and schedule your appointment today.