10 Best Foods and Drinks for Oral Health

by | May 14, 2020 | Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition | 0 comments

This article was submitted by Jacky Xu. Jacky is the Chief Operating Officer at Maid Sailors Maid Service Chicago.

 

If you want to have a beautiful smile, healthy teeth and healthy gums, brushing your teeth is not enough to avoid gum disease. Despite the fact that regular dental check-ups are essential for oral health, there are other factors including heredity, diet and dental hygiene that also impact your oral health.

Sugar is known to lead to cavities. It is a sneaky substance that appears in even so-called healthy foods. For that reason, it is crucial to maintain a balanced diet that minimizes soft drinks, fruit juice, sugary food, dried fruit, and even fresh fruit, as fruit can have a lot of natural sugar.

Proper oral care can prevent a lot of tooth and gum conditions. Flossing daily has been shown to reduce periodontal disease as it reduces plaque buildup, plaque bacteria and removes hard to reach food debris.

A balanced diet complete with a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and calcium-rich foods gives your teeth the essential nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Opting for nutrient-rich, healthy foods rather than acidic food, processed foods, and sugary food will ensure your gums to be healthy and your smile to be stunning.

In this article, we gathered 10 excellent healthy foods and drinks to assist in improving oral health.

1. Dairy products

All dairy products are a great source of calcium, which is essential for strong bones and healthy teeth. Drinking low-fat milk on a regular basis can restore tooth enamel and strengthen bones. Low in sugar, cheese is high in calcium and phosphates that neutralize harmful acid in the oral cavity, strengthening teeth. Eating cheese also contributes to the release of saliva, washing away bacteria in the mouth. Moreover, casein in cheese strengthens the tooth surface and minimizes your risk of tooth decay. Natural yogurt can also help maintain good dental health and normalize bowel functions.

2. Apples

High-fiber foods like apples can contribute to keeping your teeth healthy and also improve the condition of your digestive tract.

Firstly, chewing a fibrous fruit like an apple stimulates your gums and increases salivation, helping to reduce the number of microbes and bacteria in your mouth. This allows you to keep your teeth clean longer.

Secondly, apples have a rough structure that mechanically removes stains from tooth enamel. Apples are also rich in important vitamins and minerals (including vitamin C). Eat an apple after dinner for a low-sugar dessert, and you may feel how it cleanses the teeth from food particles.

3. Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are some of the best foods for oral health. Nuts and seeds contain minerals and vitamins that keep your teeth strong and healthy. They contain protein that strengthens the tooth enamel, making teeth less susceptible to external factors. Saliva that is produced during the chewing of nuts maintains a clean oral cavity.

Each type of nut has its own unique substance, and some of the best for your oral health are almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts. Cashews contain an element that helps relieve pain and get rid of bacteria. Therefore, it is recommended to eat such nuts in those cases when a person is tormented by toothache. Peanuts are rich in calcium and vitamin D. Walnuts are a wonderful source of fiber, iron, folic acid, thiamine, niacin, magnesium, vitamins E, and B6, which are essential for healthy teeth.

Almonds help improve the condition of the entire oral cavity. They can also act as a natural painkiller and relieve spasms. As long as you avoid varieties with added sugar, nuts could become your go-to healthy snack.

 

4. Crunchy Vegetables

It turns out that many of us eat mainly soft foods. That is why we often suffer from teeth and gum pain and inflammation. This happens due to poor blood circulation in the oral cavity. However, you should know that solid food can restore proper blood circulation, resulting in healthy teeth and gums. If you eat at least two hard vegetables a day, your gums get an excellent massage.

Moreover, crunchy vegetables remove plaque from teeth and promote saliva production. Saliva washes the mouth and reduces the number of harmful microbes, removing food particles from in between your teeth. The most beneficial crunchy vegetables are carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, celery, and bell peppers.

5. Strawberries

Strawberries are an effective and safe teeth whitening option that you can perform at home. These berries contain malic acid, which bleaches the tooth enamel. For a greater whitening effect, you can prepare a special scrub by mixing strawberries with baking soda. This mixture will remove plaque and will not harm tooth enamel.

Moreover, strawberries contain a lot of vitamins that help prevent gum disease and avitaminosis.

 

 

6. Tea

Swap your morning coffee or afternoon soft drink with black or green tea. Not only will this alternative help you cut back on sugar, but it will help prevent oral health problems. Despite the fact that regular consumption of black tea can lead to tooth discoloration or stains, it also has many beneficial properties for your oral health.

Green and black tea contain compounds called polyphenols that fight bacteria that cause tooth decay. Green and black tea also have elements that prevent enamel cracks, but only if you drink tea without sugar. If you don’t like tea without sweeteners, you can use a bit of honey to sweeten the drink — it won’t be as sweet as fruit juice, but it will be loaded with beneficial healthy properties.

In addition, both green and black teas are a great source of the antioxidant catechin. Catechin is a substance that neutralizes unpleasant odors that cause bad breath and kills bacteria that cause tooth decay and periodontal disease.

7. Seafood

Seafood is rich in trace elements and vitamins such as calcium, phosphorus, fluorine, vitamins B1, and D. These elements strengthen gum health and contribute to the proper formation of teeth. Shrimp contains easily absorbed calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and manganese. The high content of calcium and fluorine in shrimps prevents oral disease. Moreover, these minerals help strengthen bones, preserve teeth, and prevent the formation of plaque.

Most kinds of fish are rich in calcium, selenium, and fluorine. Fatty fish and other seafood are beneficial to our health due to the high content of iodine and calcium that provide anti-caries protection for our teeth.

8. Eggs

Eggs contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates, 12 essential vitamins, and almost all trace elements that are essential for oral health. For example, vitamin D is an excellent source of phosphorus and helps prevent tooth decay. You should also know that eggshells are considered a perfect source of calcium that is easily absorbed by the body (while medications such as calcium chloride, gypsum, and chalk are not digested well). It also helps reduce gum bleeding and makes your teeth strong.

9. Water

You may already know that drinking a sufficient amount of plain water daily is needed to maintain normal balance in the body. However, water also helps your teeth and gums stay healthy. Moreover, if you include fluoride-rich water in your diet, you can prevent the development of tooth decay. Fluoride strengthens the enamel and can strengthen and reduce the rate of plaque formation. In addition, fluoride slows down and inhibits the appearance of microorganisms. This means that organic acids will not accumulate in your mouth. It is also beneficial to rinse your mouth with plain water after each meal to wash away acids and food particles.

10. Dark chocolate

If you have a sweet tooth and can’t live without chocolate, there is great news for you. Dark chocolate contains a large amount of cocoa, which is rich in tannins. Tannins are water-soluble polyphenols that help prevent tooth erosion and gum disease. Cocoa is also useful against tooth decay and lowers acidity in the mouth. In addition, dark chocolate stimulates blood circulation and contains a lot of antioxidants. It is best to choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (at least 80%) and avoid high sugar content. The higher the percentage the better. Try slowly increasing the percentage in the dark chocolate that you enjoy. Before long, milk chocolate may seem way too sweet!

In addition to eating these healthy foods at mealtime, it is important to consider the amount of time that you spend snacking per day. Each time you snack, you expose your teeth to harmful acid that has the potential to erode your tooth enamel and cause damage to your oral health. By limiting your time spent snacking, you are doing your teeth a favor by avoiding a potentially hazardous run-in with bacteria or acid. If you do decide to snack in between meals, opt for raw veggies or an apple to naturally clean your teeth instead. 
 
By routinely eating these healthy foods, avoiding foods and drinks high in sugar, and maintaining regular dental check-ups, you will be sure to avoid tooth decay and gum disease. The key to good oral health is to maintain a balanced diet complete with foods from all of the major food groups, as well as to consider the frequency by which you are eating. With these tips and tricks in mind, you and your clean teeth will be eating healthier in no time!

Utilize these tips to avoid tooth decay and have improved oral health to enjoy flashing that beautiful smile!

Naughty Nutrition

Naughty Nutrition

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