All through our lives we’ve heard our dietary choices measured against the risk they pose to our oral health. When it does come up, which is often, its usually in the context of how certain foods are bad for our teeth. They’re too hard, too sugar, too acidic, or too abrasive. While there’s a lot of truth in many of these comments, it leaves out one very important part of oral health and eating, what’s good for your teeth. In this article we’re going to take a different approach and focus on what your teeth need and what foods provide them.
Calcium, Phosphorous, and Potassium Are All Important For Your Teeth
Making The Right Food Choices For Your Oral Hygiene
It all starts with making the right choices for your oral health, starting with a regular dental hygiene routine that includes brushing, flossing, and mouthwash. In addition to worrying about our teeth, there’s also other oral structures that we need to consider. These include our jawbone, tongue, lips, and cheeks, just to name a few. These complex structures require proper nutrients to keep healthy, and avoiding the amount of sugar and acid you consume is wise as well. When trying to pick foods that help promote good oral health, consider the following:
- Calcium Rich Foods – Not only is salmon delicious, but it also happens to be a fantastic source of calcium! This is just one source of calcium to consider, you can also look to tofu, almonds, milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- Phosphorous Rich Foods – Just as our bones require calcium and phosphorous to be strong and healthy, so do our teeth! Phosphorous is easily availabel in beans, eggs, lean meat, nuts, and fish.
- Vitamin C – Essential to the health of our gums, Vitamin C is found in most citrus fruits and is also known as citric acid.
The best part about the foods listed above is that many of them make excellent tooth-healthy choices for snacking than traditional carb-rich snacks. By eliminating the carbohydrates we also protect our body from the sugar that forms as we process them. Even better, nuts, cheese, and lean meat are more filling than a regular snack.
While Great For Your Teeth, Citric Acid Can Also Damage Them So Rinse After Eating!
Infants Who Haven’t Got Their Teeth Also Benefit From Good Food Choices
Your growing child also needs to get enough of the foods that are good for their teeth. Their bodies are hard at work growing and preparing their teeth for eruption just a few months down the line. Thankfully many of these foods are available in forms that are safe for children only a few months old. When putting your child to bed at night remember to avoid giving them juice or milk in their bottle, nighttime bottles should only hold water. Have more questions about your oral health and dietary changes you can make to improve it? Call for a consultation and speak to one of our specialists today!