Eating a healthy diet is essential for our general wellbeing, but did you realize that it is also critical for your oral health? Poor dietary habits might cause problems with your gums and teeth, which leads to tooth loss and a compromised smile. Though it may seem counterintuitive, several meals considered healthy for your body might be harmful to your long-term oral health.
What Is the Role of Nutrition in Oral Health?
Every year, millions of Americans suffer from painful and debilitating oral disorders. CDC states that 90% of the adult population in the US have at least one cavity, and 50% have gum disease. So, how can we avoid having poor dental health?
There are a few lifestyle decisions we can make now to help keep our teeth healthy for years to follow. One critical preventative approach is to have a well-balanced diet. Teeth and gums necessitate specific nutrients to develop correctly and remain robust throughout your life—healthy foods aid in preventing tooth decay, infection, periodontitis, and ultimately, teeth loss.
How Does Bad Diet Impact Your Oral Health?
Gum diseases and tooth decay are strongly associated with poor nutrition. It is a known fact that eating a lot of sugary foods might cause cavities or tooth loss. However, there are various foods and beverages that we should avoid.
Items heavy in carbs, starch, or acid, for example, can wear down the enamel of your teeth over time. Similarly, foods low in vitamin C and protein could impair collagen formation and lead to poor wound healing or tooth loss.
What Are the Worst Foods for Your Teeth?
Role of Foods High in Sugar on Dental Health
Candy, chewing gum, suckers, gummies, taffy, and cotton candy are apparent offenders. However, silent culprits are fruit juice, energy drinks, sports drinks, and cough drops include refined sugar. This substance adheres to your teeth and increases tooth decay, a disease exacerbated in malnourished individuals. Soft and sugary foods that stick to your teeth, such as cake, candies, and sweets, should be avoided.
Carbonated Beverages and Oral Health
Carbonated drinks are the primary source of extra sugar in the diets of children and adolescents. Because of their high sugar content, pop, soda, and energy drinks are bad for your teeth. Many of these produced beverages also contain phosphoric and citric acids, acidic and corrosive to dental enamel.
Foods High in Starch and Dental Health
Though we consider bread a decent food, starchy foods tend to adhere to and in between teeth. Carbohydrate-rich foods might have an effect on your mouth that is similar to sugar.
Role of Citric Foods and Beverages on Oral health
Acid is commonly found in citrus fruits, juices, and wine. Though not harmful, exposing your teeth to excessive levels of acid can destroy the enamel, leading to cavities and decay over time.
Hard Foods and Dental Health
Reduce your intake of extra-hard foods to avoid breaking your tooth. One of the most common causes of this type of dental emergency is chewing on nuts and demanding sweets. Avoid chewing ice!
Caffeinated Foods and Beverages and Oral Health
Caffeine is bad for you for a variety of reasons. It can discolor teeth, create a dry mouth, and is frequently drunk with sweets. This includes coffee, tea, and caffeine-containing treats.
Alcohol Consumption and Oral Health
Drinking alcohol frequently can cause dry mouth, which raises the risk of oral infections and gum disease. Excessive alcohol use is also associated with an increased risk of mouth cancer.
Achieving the Ideal Nutrition for Strong Teeth and a Healthier Body
Finding the perfect balance in nutrition is everything. As previously stated, even fruits and vegetables have natural sugars and acids that can harm teeth. However, this does not imply that you should eliminate them from your diet forever.
This information is offered to assist you in making sound dietary choices for your dental health. Dentists, after all, are medical practitioners. We advocate limiting your intake of potentially dangerous foods and opting for healthier alternatives whenever possible.
Even the healthiest foods can become hazardous when consumed in excess. Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have all been linked to dental illness, according to research.
How to Change Your Eating Habits for Better Teeth?
What if we told you that substituting your morning donut for an apple may help your dental health? That is correct, but not for the apparent reason. Keeping refined sugars to a minimum is an intelligent, protective approach. While choosing vitamin and nutrient-rich foods means taking steps toward better long-term oral health. A lack of necessary nutrients might deplete the immune system as a whole. This permits oral disorders to advance more quickly and become more severe.
When eating high-sugar or high-starch items, aim to consume them as part of a meal rather than a snack. When you finish a full meal, your mouth generates more saliva, which helps rinse the sugar and acid off your teeth. Furthermore, after a meal, you are more likely to brush and floss your teeth.
To maintain good oral health and strong teeth, you should always brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss every day, and see your dentist regularly.
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