Relationship Between Our Dental Health And The Food We Eat

What is the relationship between our diet and dental health?

Many parents often worry that their children eat junk food which may hurt their digestive system and health. Young people fear that the sugary drinks and coffee they drink can lead to obesity and pimples.

But people fail to realize that whatever we eat has a significant impact on our dental health. Anything that we eat or drink first comes in contact with our mouth and teeth and harms them much before they can damage the body. Not only the food we eat but even the time we eat them affects the wellbeing of our teeth and mouth.

Relationship between our Dental health and the food we eat — Coffee Effects

How does eating a balanced diet help in promoting oral health?

Reputed health organizations recommend eating a balanced diet. Poor nutrition affects the immune system negatively. It is also linked to poor dental health and dental diseases. It is seen that people with chronic illnesses also have dental diseases. This happens as a side effect of the medicines they take or the condition they have. So if we follow a balanced diet, we can strengthen our immune system and protect our body from diseases and also avoid dental diseases.

What kind of food can we choose for good dental health?

It is recommended to choose our food from the five major food groups: Cereals, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and sources of protein like beef, chicken, and fish. It is also recommended that we do not follow crash diets and leave eating certain kinds of food as it may lead to deficiencies which are neither good for our body nor oral health.

How does sugary food affect our dental health?

A thin layer of dental plaque keeps developing on the surface of our teeth. When we eat sugary food, the sugar sticks to the surface of the tooth and the bacteria present in dental plaque feeds on the sugar, producing acids that lead to tooth decay and periodontal diseases. The acids produced by bacteria can attack the teeth even after twenty minutes of eating sugary food. This is the reason we should avoid sweet food like aerated drinks, jam, pie, candies, chocolate and other foods that are high in sugar.

Is snacking bad for health?

Dentists believe that having three meals is much better than snacking throughout the day. A chocolate cake that is eaten at mealtime as a dessert causes less harm to the teeth than a midday snack of chocolate cake. Food eaten at meal time is less harmful to the teeth and mouth because we salivate more at meal times. Saliva washes away leftover food in the mouth, it also neutralizes the effect of harmful acids made by bacteria. Dr. Roman Fedorciw, a Rocky Hill dentist, advises that if we cannot stop snacking, then we can at least opt for healthier snacks like almonds, nuts, apple, etc.

What are the foods that strengthen our teeth?

Most of the people know about the food that harms their dental health, but foods that strengthen their teeth is not recognized by many. Apart from the food mentioned earlier in this article, the following food items deserve special mention:

Avocado: Avocado is an excellent food for improving our dental health. It has prebiotic fiber that feeds the probiotic bacteria. It also has vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folate, potassium and vitamin C that strengthen the teeth.

Spinach: Spinach is an exceptional source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and folic acid that strengthen the teeth. Adding spinach to our food, drink, and snacks makes them nutritious and healthy.
Butter: Butter is very beneficial for oral health. The saturated fats present in butter releases hormones that keep us full and controls our urge for eating snacks. It also manages our blood pressure. It is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin k and Vitamin D which makes our teeth stronger.
Yoghurt: Yoghurt can be great as a snack. It has amazing benefits. It has probiotic bacteria which improves digestion and gut health, which in turn improves our oral health. It also has fat soluble vitamins. It is perfect for controlling bleeding gums.

Apart from these foods, drinking enough water can also help in checking tooth decay. Other healthy beverages include milk, unsweetened green tea, and kefir.