How Your Diet Affects Your Dental Health

When your diet lacks vital nutrients, the tissues in your mouth have a harder time fighting off infection. Over time, this can be a contributing factor of periodontal disease and even worse, tooth loss. Our La Crete dentist advocates avoiding excessive sugar consumption for a variety of reasons and how maintaining a healthy diet is important for your oral and overall health.

Steer Clear of Sugar

While you may be concerned with gaining a few pounds around your waistline from drinking soda or eating sugary snacks, have you ever considered the effect it has on your teeth?

Did you know that when bacteria come in contact with sugar it produces acid in your mouth for twenty minutes or longer? This acid attacks your tooth enamel and can lead to tooth decay. Your eating patterns affect how quickly you develop tooth decay.

Now that you know sugar is the culprit, how will you avoid it when it’s in just about everything? The answer is, monitor your intake. Sugars also appear in foods that are nutritious for our teeth, like milk. Our La Crete dental clinic recommends reading your food labels and choosing foods and beverages with low sugar content.

Sugar-Substitutes Are Affecting your Teeth

I know what you’re thinking. Drinking that diet coke after dinner is fine because it doesn’t have sugar right? However, sugar substitutes promote acids in your mouth leading to tooth decay. Look for some of the following ingredients the next time you read a label:

Aspartame
Erythritol
Saccharin
Sucralose
Isomalt
Sorbitol

As well as more well-known brand names, including Splenda, Equal and Sunett.

Maintaining a Healthy Diet

To maintain a healthy diet, eat a wide range of foods from each primary food group, these include carbohydrates, protein, dairy, vegetables (legumes) and fruit.

Also, add certain foods to your meal, rather than eating them on their own. This will be less damaging as the saliva you produce will wash particles and lessen the effects of acids.

When you make food and beverage choices consider the following:

The form of the food: Is it liquid, solid, or sticky?
How often you consume: Are you having sugary foods or drinks too often. What about acidic foods and drinks?
The nutritional makeup: What is in your food and how will it benefit or harm your teeth?
Your food combinations: How do you combine your foods and in what order do you eat them? (Believe it or not, this influences your teeth and gums.)
Your overall health: Do you have any medical conditions such as acid reflux, or suffer from an eating disorder? This can increase your risk of cavities and weaken your teeth.

Limit your Snacks

Sure snacking is delicious and convenient but are you always making healthy choices? When you reach for a snack, drop your chips, drop your chocolate and drop your candy. Instead, try some healthier alternatives.

The Five Best Foods for Your Teeth

Improve your diet and your health with these five foods while you fight off tooth decay:

Cheese: Are you a cheese lover? Well, you’re in luck. This food will strengthen your teeth.
Yogurt: High in calcium and protein, eating this will also strengthen your teeth.
Leafy greens: They are packed with calcium, folic acid and vitamin B for healthy teeth.
Apples: Crunch on this fresh fruit to rinse away food particles and bacteria.
Almonds: This nut is also a good source of calcium and protein and is low in sugar.

Simple Ways to Reduce Cavities

Brush and floss twice a day: Remove sugar and food particles in your mouth.
Limit your snacking: Avoid snacking between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Pay attention to sugar: Track how much sugar you are consuming. Read labels and watch out for sugar substitutes too.
Eat balanced: Dairy, fruits, and vegetables are not only incredible for your body but also your teeth and gums.
Visit a dental clinic in La Crete biannually for a cleaning and checkup: Your dentist will detect any concerns and treat them accordingly.