The best foods for healthy teeth
After regular brushing and flossing, diet is the most important factor in maintaining strong and healthy teeth. Your diet should be lower in sugary food and refined carbohydrates and rich in nutrition dense vegetables and fruit. Here are the 5 best foods to for your teeth.
Water
Keeping hydrated is essential to overall well-being and key to keeping the oral environment healthy. Dehydration causes your saliva to thicken, which means your body can’t breakdown food or neutralise bacterial acid. This leads to bad breath and worsens tooth decay. While rinsing your mouth with water is no replacement for toothbrushing and flossing, it helps reduce plaque by neutralising acid and reducing staining from certain foods.
Fish
Fatty fish like salmon and canned sardines contain high levels of calcium and vitamin D, which work together to keep your bones and teeth strong. A can of sardines provides 35% of calcium and 22% of vitamin D you need in a day, while 100 grams of salmon contains 66% of vitamin D and 35% of the calcium you need in a day.
Fibrous fruit and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are high in fibre and jam-packed with the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep your teeth and gums in good condition. Some symptoms of scurvy, caused by vitamin C deficiency, is gum disease, tooth loss and mouth ulcers. Most fruit and vegetables contain vitamin C, and dark leafy greens like spinach and kale are rich in calcium. The fibre in these foods also helps keep your teeth and gums clean by gently scraping your tooth surfaces and inhibiting bacterial growth in your mouth.
Plain yogurt
Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B12. Just one cup of plain sugar-free yogurt provides 30% of calcium, making this one of the best foods to eat to guard against osteoporosis and weakening teeth. Unlike other dairy products, unflavoured varieties are low in sugar and saturated fat, making it the healthiest way to get your dairy fix.
Black and green tea
Despite the risk of staining, green and black tea are surprisingly good for your teeth. These drinks are rich in polyphenols which inhibit plaque causing bacteria. They are also natural sources of fluoride which keeps your enamel strong. Despite this, black and green tea are not replacements for a good fluoride toothpaste.
For more tips on keeping your mouth healthy at home, read our other blog articles here.
