When we think about caring for our smiles, we usually consider at-home dental care and professional treatments. Undoubtedly, both of these things are crucial for maintaining healthy smiles, but there are other things to keep in mind as well. Today our Tinley Park dentists are giving you more information about how diet, specifically, can affect oral health. Keep reading to get info on how you can prioritize your smile day to day.
You probably already know that things like candy, soft drinks, and sugary desserts can damage your smile. Sweet foods and drinks coat your mouth in sugars, and then harmful oral bacteria go to work feeding on these sugars, and growing and multiplying as a result. As you would imagine, it therefore in your best interest to minimize the amount of sweets you consume—we don’t want to give the oral bacteria in your mouth too much help!
When it comes to combating oral infections and damage, the best thing that you can drink is water. When you drink water, you rinse and flush away dental debris and bacteria. Additionally, water helps to jump-start saliva production in your mouth, and saliva is your body’s natural way of neutralizing bacteria and re-mineralizing enamel.
Another thing that you can do to help your smile is to snack on crunchy vegetables during the day. Veggies like carrots and celery have a lot of water in them, so that helps you stay hydrated and produce saliva. The physical act of chewing these crunchy veggies scrapes plaque from your dental surfaces.
Our Orland Park dentists are here to help you build a dental plan that works for you every single day. Please don’t hesitate to call our team for more information about how your diet can affect your smile—you can also schedule a personal consultation.