Your diet plays a very important role when it comes to maintaining a perfect smile. Some foods are really good for your teeth, but others can spell disaster. Here are some tooth-friendly diet tips to help you keep your smile in shape for many years to come.
What to Eat
Your teeth are very strong, but they aren’t invincible. Try and ensure you get enough calcium every day to keep your teeth strong and healthy. Calcium is also good for your nails and bones. Foods that are good sources of calcium include milk, yoghurts, leafy green vegetables, nuts and cheese. Fruit and vegetables are important for your general health, but they also offer benefits for your teeth and gums. Fruits that are rich in vitamin C are excellent for helping you ward off infections, and strawberries also have a rough skin, which acts as a natural stain remover. Chewing on raw carrots, celery and apples helps to stimulate saliva production, which neutralises harmful acids in your mouth.
What Not to Eat
Unfortunately, many of our favourite treats are harmful for our oral health. Cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks and popcorn all have high sugar content, which increases the risk of tooth decay. Shop-bought smoothies and juices may look like a healthy option, but always check the sugar content. Often, they contain as much sugar as fizzy pop, and they are also acidic, which exposes the enamel to a risk of erosion. Try and avoid very hard foods, such as boiled sweets, as they can crack the teeth. Starchy foods, like crisps, can also be harmful, as they get stuck in the teeth, and the starch is broken down into sugars.
As well as thinking about what you eat, it’s also important to think about when you eat. This is because when you eat, the bacteria in your mouth release acids, which temporarily weaken the enamel, and it takes time for it recover. Try and stick to main meals rather than grazing throughout the day, and if you do fancy a snack, choose something sugar-free.
If you need advice about healthy eating, our dental team will be happy to help.