There’s a saying you are what you eat. In this situation that is even truer for your teeth and gums. For many people, their teeth are really important for them. They want to keep their teeth healthy. There some foods which make your teeth healthy and strong. But there are other foods which make them unhealthy and your teeth might decay due to them.
Most of the people are so concerned about their teeth. They go to the dentist once a month to take care of your teeth. But you can also take care of your teeth on your own. How? By eating the best foods which are good for your teeth and avoiding eating the worst foods as much as you can.
Below mentioned are 5 best foods for your teeth and 5 worst foods for your teeth by Frank Roach Dentist.
Best Foods for your Teeth:
- Fruits and vegetables rich in fiber: According to the American Dental Association (ADA), the foods which are rich in fiber helps you to keeps your gums and teeth clean. These foods also get your saliva flowing, which is a good thing.
These foods can be your best natural defense against the cavities and gum disease, next to the good home dental care. After eating foods which are sugary or starchy, your saliva begins to reduce the effects of acids and enzymes which are attacking your teeth.
Traces of calcium and phosphate are found in your saliva. So, it helps you to restore minerals to the areas of the teeth that have lost them due to the bacterial acids.
- Dairy Products: Dairy products contain calcium and phosphates, which helps you to put backs minerals in your teeth which might have been lost due to the other foods. Dairy products also help your teeth to rebuild the tooth enamel.
- Green and Black tea: Black tea and Green tea, both contain polyphenols which interacts with plague bacteria. Drinking these teas either kills the bacteria or holds it back. So, drinking these two types of tea, prevents bacteria from growing or making acid which attacks your teeth.
- Sugarless chewing gum: We all love chewing gum, which are sugary though. But you can substitute those sugary chewing gums for sugarless chewing gum. These sugarless chewing gums is a great saliva maker and removes the food particles from your mouth.
- Foods containing fluoride: Fluoridated drinking water, as well as any product which was made with fluoridated water, helps your teeth. These foods include powdered juices (not contain a lot of sugar) and some dehydrated soups. Some of the commercially prepared foods which contain fluoride are poultry products, powdered cereals, and seafood.
Read More: 8 Foods to Eat During Pregnancy
Worst Foods for your Teeth:
- Candies and sweets which are sticky: If you want to eat sweets, then go for those which clear out of your mouth quickly. These kinds of sweets are lollipops, caramels and cough drop which contains refined sugar. Avoid eating sticky candies and sweets, which gets stuck in your teeth and doesn’t clear out quickly. According to the ADA, chocolates washes out of your mouth quicker than other candies.
- Starchy foods which get stuck in-between your teeth: Starchy foods such as soft breads, popcorn, and potato chips, for example, can get easily trapped in between your teeth.
- Carbonated drinks: Carbonated soft drinks are mostly loaded with sugar. These drinks are popular among the teen and kids, as they are the leading source of added sugar. Most of these carbonated drinks contains phosphoric and citric acids which were away your tooth enamel.
- Substances which dry out your mouth: Consuming alcohol and medicines can dry out your mouth. If medicines are the reason then you talk with your dental care provider about getting some kind of fluoride rinse or a get a fluoride gel for brushing your teeth.
- Caffeine: Drinking coffee can stain your teeth more than the tobacco stains. According to a study, coffee-stained teeth are more resistant to tooth brushing than other food stains. And teeth which have heavy coffee stains tends to get sticky and are more likely to attract food particles and bacteria.
Apart from these foods, try drinking water as much as you can. Brush your teeth twice a day.
