Foods that protect teeth and foods that harm them
Our teeth mirror our health, so how we live matters a great deal to them. Oral health rests on three things: daily care, regular dental visits, and a sensible diet. The health of your teeth depends heavily on what you eat.
What we eat affects not only the teeth but, indirectly, the whole body. Among the difficulties that can follow are malformation of the mouth and teeth, loss of function, and disorders of the digestive tract.
Foods that protect teeth
When we talk about what we eat, we usually focus on what harms the teeth. Almost everyone knows that sugar is their greatest enemy: it raises acidity by turning into lactic acid, and so increases the harmful bacteria in the mouth.
There are, however, a number of foods that do the health of our teeth real good.
Cheese, milk and yoghurt
Cheese is one of the best foods for the teeth, for several reasons. It has little sugar and a high level of calcium. It also contains casein, a protein important for maintaining enamel. And it has a high level of phosphate, which helps restore the pH balance in the mouth.
Chewing cheese also stimulates saliva, which helps the teeth and mouth clean themselves. Milk helps lower acidity in the mouth, while yoghurt is a good source of calcium and of the probiotics that protect teeth from decay and gum disease.
Celery, carrots and green vegetables
Vegetables such as celery, carrots and kale are crisp and help clean the teeth naturally. They help clear bacteria from the mouth. Carrots themselves contain plenty of calcium, vitamin C and carotene, all of which do the teeth good.
Vitamin A helps form enamel, and is found most in foods such as pumpkin, broccoli and new potatoes. Green vegetables contain a good deal of calcium, folic acid and other minerals that help protect teeth and gums.
Fruit
Eating fruit, apples and other fibrous, firm fruit in particular, neutralises the acid that forms on the teeth. Chewing fruit also stimulates the gums and produces saliva, which cleans the mouth and reduces the number of bacteria in it.
Citrus fruit such as lemon, along with pomegranate, kiwi and strawberries, contains a high concentration of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps form the collagen fibres that keep gums healthy and support the roots of the teeth. It is equally good at countering the effects of coffee and wine.
Foods of animal origin
Our teeth need calcium, but absorbing it is impossible without vitamin D. So it is worth adding oily fish such as salmon to the diet, while chicken, beef and eggs provide phosphorus, which prevents erosion and various dental conditions.
Foods that harm teeth
Many of the things we eat can cause decay. Decay does not only destroy teeth; it can also lead to various gum diseases. It can affect and destroy the enamel that protects teeth from bacteria.
Irregular brushing speeds up the effect of harmful foods, so there are certain things worth avoiding.
Sugar
Something sweet after a meal also means taking in unnecessary extra sugar. Sugar is in fact an ingredient often found in foods we do not think of as sugary. So avoiding sweet things does not remove sugar from your diet entirely.
When products containing sugar lodge between the teeth they contribute to producing a substance called exopolysaccharide. Once that coats the teeth it makes them more hospitable to the bacteria that undermine them. Besides creating a good environment for harmful bacteria, sugar also feeds them and lets them multiply.
Chewy sweets and dried fruit
Chewy sweets and dried fruit are both full of sugar. That is not the only reason they harm the teeth, though. They form a sticky film over the teeth that lets sugar adhere more easily.
Dried fruit may well be considerably better than large quantities of sweets. But our teeth, and the bacteria living on them, draw little distinction between sources of sugar, and the harm to the mouth is much the same. Chewy sweets also contain several kinds of acid that harm the teeth. Being chewy makes them harder to eat, so they stick more easily and stay on the teeth longer.
Crisps
Crisps are a crunchy food that can do the teeth a good deal of harm. Their texture alone is enough to cause damage, but so is what they are made of: crisps are high in starch, which turns into sugar and is a further burden on the mouth.
Crisps also lodge very easily between the teeth, where they attract various harmful bacteria. They can also contain acid, which contributes to destroying enamel.
Citrus and highly acidic foods
Lemons and oranges are far from the best fruit for the health of your teeth. Food and drink that is too acidic can damage enamel. Anyone with sensitive teeth should cut down on lemonade, citrus, tomatoes, alcohol and other highly acidic things.
Taking in highly acidic products can damage enamel, which in turn exposes the nerve endings of the teeth and damages them. Citrus is good for the body, since it contains the antioxidants it needs to work properly. For the sake of your teeth, though, acidic products are best taken in moderation.
Book an examination
A first examination is not charged for. You choose an appointment online, in a few steps, or call us.