You’re using the right toothbrush, brushing and flossing regularly, and incorporating a mouth rinse into your routine, but you’re still having trouble maintaining a fresh smile. Your diet could be to blame.
The things that we eat and drink every day can profoundly impact the health and appearance of our smile. With that in mind, our Tinley Park dentists are here with some helpful tips on how to optimize your diet to promote oral health.
Sugar Issues
Many of us have heard that sugary foods and drinks are bad for our smiles, but why? The answer may be more simple than you think. The truth is that the oral bacteria that live in our mouths love sugars and refined carbohydrates. Bacteria feed on these things, and use them to grow and multiply. So, when you consume a diet rich in sugars and carbs, you’re giving harmful oral bacteria an ideal environment in which to thrive.
Water Woes
If you want to maintain a healthy smile, it is simply critical that you drink enough water. Water obviously boosts your whole-body health by keeping you hydrated, but it also specifically affects your dental health. First of all, every time that you reach for water, you’re not sipping on a sugary soda or juice—that’s a win right there. Additionally, drinking water helps to flush dental debris and food particles from along your gum line and between your teeth. Finally, when you drink water, you stimulate saliva production. Saliva works to neutralize bacteria and re-mineralize teeth, so you want to encourage it (incidentally, this is why so many people who suffer from chronic dry mouth also have bad breath).
Helpful Snacks
There are actually a few types of snacks that can help to boost your oral health. Crunchy vegetables, like carrots and celery, for example, work to manually scrape plaque off of your teeth. At the same time, these veggies contain a lot of water, so they hydrate you and promote saliva production. Cheese and yogurt have also been shown to discourage dental decay, as they improve dental pH and contain probiotics, respectively.
If you feel like you’re battling to maintain oral health, it might be time to take a look at your diet. Our Tinley Park dentists are here to help, so give us a call to learn more and schedule a personal consultation!