We’ve all heard the adage, “You are what you eat.” While many of the idioms we hear from our parents aren’t necessarily supported by science, this one is basically true. The nutrients derived from the foods and drinks we consume each day help us to repair and replace healthy cells, leading to improved health and wellbeing. Your oral health is also impacted by nutrition. In addition to good at-home oral hygiene and regular preventive dentistry visits, eating certain foods can help keep your teeth stronger and healthier as well as benefitting your overall wellness. To celebrate National Nutrition Month, we’re taking some time to discuss better eating habits for healthy smiles.
Top Foods for Healthy Teeth
If you’re interested in celebrating National Nutrition Month by eating foods that are better for your smile, consider adding more of the following items to your diet:
- Calcium – Garbanzo beans, nuts, and green, leafy vegetables are all rich in calcium, which promotes healthy tooth enamel and bone growth.
- Phosphorous – Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, nuts, beans and peas are all rich in phosphorous which can strengthen tooth enamel.
- Vitamin C – foods rich in vitamin C, like fruits, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and spinach, are great for your immune health and they promote healthy gums.
Foods to Avoid for Better Oral Health
There are also some foods and drinks that will do more harm to your teeth, including:
- Citrus – fruits like lemons, and limes that are high in citric acid are good sources of vitamin C, but prolonged exposure may weaken tooth enamel. Make sure to drink plenty of water and limit the amount of time the citric acid sits on the surface of teeth.
- Carbonated drinks – soda and even carbonated water will coat your teeth, and they are highly acidic, leading to weakened tooth enamel. Additionally, soda can stain teeth.
- Sticky foods – sticky foods or difficult to chew foods can get stuck on teeth, where they will be broken down by oral bacteria that produce acidic plaque, which is damaging to teeth.
- Hard candies – sugary hard candies that are slowly dissolved in the mouth expose the teeth to acidic plaque over an extended time, which increases risk for tooth decay and tooth enamel wear.
Tips to Simplify Healthy Eating
There are many challenges to creating a healthy diet that’s good for your smile and your whole body health. Consider the following tip to make eating healthy simple and budget friendly:
- Shop the perimeter – when you visit the grocery store, the outside aisles typically contain fresh produce. These are the whole, non-processed fruits and vegetables that should be a major part of every healthy diet. The interior aisles of the grocery store contain processed, sugary items that are not healthy. The bulk of your grocery items should come from the perimeter aisles.
- Plan ahead – before you go to the grocery store or order your groceries, take some time to plan out a week’s worth of healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. This will help you stay on track and avoid impulse buying.
- Meal prep – make slightly larger portions of healthy meals early in the week or over the weekend. Then, you can set aside extra servings for lunches or freeze the leftovers to eat at a later date.
- Keep your diet varied – if you get bored with your diet, you’re less likely to stick to eating the healthy meals you’ve planned, so try a new meal at least once a week.
Meet the McCarl Dental Group Team
At McCarl Dental Group in Millersville, MD, we have been offering exceptional dentistry solutions for families in our communities since 1938. With nearly a century of dental care experience, our modern dental office still includes all the latest in dentistry technology, ensuring we always exceed our patient expectations. Whether it’s time for a six month dental checkup and teeth cleaning or you’re in need of more advanced dentistry solutions, we’re here to help. Give our Millersville dental office a call, email our dentistry team, or complete our online request form to get started today.