There are a lot of things you can do to stay healthy. Most doctors and even posts on social media through medical professionals will tell you that regular exercise, prioritising sleep, and having a balanced diet can help you in keeping your health and well-being in check. But did you know that some weight loss diet regimens are major reasons as to why your dental health gets affected in the long run? Some may have cavities, but the major symptom is having bad breath.
We are here with our friends at Adawn Dental Studio Brunswick East to walk you through what dental health actually means and how the foods we eat support our oral health, even with just regular brushing.
What Is Dental Health, Really?
Dental health is as important as our overall health. Besides avoiding cavities, toothaches, and other dental issues along the way, dental health also includes having firm and healthy gums, breath that is fresh even after brushing and flossing, and proper alignment in biting and chewing.
The plot twist is that no matter how much you brush and floss regularly, your diet and how you eat still play a major role in your overall dental health.
This means that even with consistent oral hygiene, consuming sugary snacks, acidic drinks, or frequently snacking throughout the day can undermine your efforts. These habits create an environment where harmful bacteria thrive, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. According to Dental Veneers Redwood City CA, making conscious food choices—like eating crunchy fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and limiting processed sugars—can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your brushing and flossing routine.
The Connection Between Diet and Dental Health
Most dentists will stress that your mouth is the entry point to the things that will affect your body later on, whether it’s food, drink, or even some things that we don’t even notice but are present in the environment. All of these can either protect and keep your gums and teeth healthy or feed present bacteria that may cause cavities. Here are some things that can be good or bad for your health:
Foods That Help Your Teeth
Dairy products. As we age, minerals become less and less present in our bodies. Having dairy products in our diet, like milk and cheese, can lessen the acidity in our mouths, as they are full of calcium and phosphates.
Crunchy fruits and veggies. Long ago, when oral health was not in people’s vocabulary, apples and carrots were seen as “natural brushes” for our teeth because they not only helped wash away bacteria and food particles, but they were also high in fibre and low in sugar.
Leafy greens. Having strong teeth and gums can help you in chewing and prevent cavities or inflammation, so always be on the lookout for veggies that are high in calcium and folic acid.
Green and black tea. Ever felt good after having a cup of tea? In the early times, green and black tea were also incorporated into our lifestyle, as they reduce plaque and bad breath. Naturally, these teas contain nutrients that suppress bacteria in your mouth.
Nuts and seeds. As long as your creatinine is good, eating nuts and seeds that are rich in minerals supports both the enamel of your teeth and the tissue of your gums.
Foods That Harm Your Teeth
Sugary snacks and soft drinks. Sugar is what feeds the bacteria in your mouth that can still grow even with regular brushing of teeth.
Sticky and chewy foods. Even if these things are healthy—like granola bars and dried fruit—these things cling to your teeth and even stay longer in your mouth than you’d expect.
Highly acidic foods. While they are healthy, citrous fruits and tomatoes usually weaken the enamel in our teeth. When you eat these certain kinds of foods, wait for at least half an hour before you brush your teeth.
Alcohol. Alcohol and some beverages reduce your saliva because they dry your mouth out. And when your mouth gets dry, it risks your mouth, teeth, and gums to faster decay.
Alcohol dries out your mouth, reducing saliva. Less saliva = more risk of decay and gum problems.
White bread and refined carbs. Healthy as they may be, bread has lots of carbohydrates that break into sugar easily. And as we’ve mentioned, sugar, when stuck in your teeth, will feed the bacteria in your mouth.
The Role of Saliva
You might think of saliva as something you wouldn’t want to touch or be outside of your mouth, but hear us out when we say that our saliva often gets overlooked. Our mouths, just like our bodies, have ways of healing themselves, and your saliva functions like a cleaning system for your mouth because it helps wash away food particles and neutralise the acid that comes with your diet. This is why it is so important to keep yourself hydrated.
