Important Food To Take For Maintaining Good Oral Health

Food To Take For Maintaining Good Oral Health

If you are what you eat, then it's more true for your teeth and gum. Oral health is just as important as taking care of your own health. When you are eating non-healthy food, you are not only feeding yourself but also the bacterias that cause tooth decay and gum problems. The junk food that you eat contains a great amount of starch and sugar. Plaque is an invisibly thin layer of a sticky film of bacteria that covers the surface of the teeth. When the sugars and starch from the junk food come in contact with the plaque, acid is formed. These acids can attack the enamel of the teeth which results in tooth decay. This progresses to attack the gums and the bones and other areas around the mouth.

There are some foods that help the tooth decay and others fight the build-up of plaque. Let us see some important food to take for maintaining good oral health.

Foods To Improve Oral Health

• Fiber rich fruits and vegetables: - Foods with fiber helps to keep the teeth and gum clean. They helps to produce saliva. Naturally produced saliva is good for fighting against plaque, cavities and gum diseases. Saliva contains calcium and phosphate. If you take foods containing starch or sugar, saliva reduces the effect of the acid produced by them attacking the teeth. It also restores the minerals that was destroyed by the bacterial acids from the teeth.

• Dairy products: - Foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. are rich in calcium and proteins and phosphates. They help to rebuild the minerals lost from the teeth and help rebuild tooth enamel.

• Green and black teas: - Teas contain polyphenols that kill or block the bacteria in the plaque. This prevents the bacteria from growing and attacking the teeth. Depending on the type of water used for brewing, it can be a source of fluoride as well.

• Sugarless chewing gum: - Chewing produces saliva naturally in the mouth. So chewing  sugarless chewing can tackle against plaque build up in the mouth.

• Foods with fluoride: - Flouride is a mineral found in the teeth. So drinking or eating foods with fluoride helps with good oral health. This includes powdered juices which does not contain a lot of sugar and dehydrated soups. Commercially prepared foods such as poultry products, seafood, powdered cereals also give fluoride.

Foods To Avoid

• Sticky candies and sweets: - Any thing that contains sugar and sticks to the teeth is very bad for oral health. They should be cleaned immediately. So lollipops, caramel, cough drops and other sticky sweets are a no go. But dark chocolate (70% cocoa) has some health benefits. Its not as bad as the other sweets and can be washed off easily.

• Starchy foods that get stuck in the mouth: - Foods like breads, potato chips etc. can get stuck in the mouth.

• Carbonated soft drinks: - Soft drinks contain very larger quantities of sugar. Most soft drinks have phosphoric acid and citric acid that dissolves the enamel.

• Substances that dry out the mouth: - Alcohol is dehydrating in nature. So consuming alcohol not only dehydrates the body but the mouth as well. Some medicines also cause dehydration. If so consult your dentist for a fluoride rinse or fluoride gel for brushing the teeth.

Apart from all of these make sure to brush your teeth twice daily in the morning and before going to bed. Flossing is also a good habit to keep your gum and teeth healthy and hygienically.