Good Nutrition Promotes Your Oral Health

[James Helliwell]

 

You are as healthy as what you eat. Health here signifies your general wellbeing. You owe yourself a great degree of self-care by being mindful of the things you eat.

Making a habit of eating balanced diet makes it possible for your body to get the right amount of nutrients needed for a good health. If your body is low in any form of nutrients, your mouth may take the fall resulting in infection. An example is when you have bleeding gums because your body is low on Vitamins.

“20070310-2” by saotin is licensed under CC BY 2.0

How your Diet Affects your Oral Health

Gum disease and tooth decay are immediate consequences of an unbalanced diet.

If your diet is high in carbohydrates and sugar, you will be susceptible to having tooth decay that is as a result of accumulated plaque acids that attack the tooth enamel.

Starchy foods and sugar build up plaque acids that cause the enamel to break down, ultimately leading to developing cavities.

“Dentist” by Melissa Clark is licensed under CC BY 2.0

For your oral health, you need to cut down on your intake of sweetened fruit drinks, sugar loaded sodas or foods with excessive added sugar. Most of our food today contains some form of sugar.

The responsibility rests upon you to check the label to be sure that the sugar in the products you consume are not excessive.

Much as you are trying to avoid consuming the bad stuff, it is worthy of mention that these foods may have some other nutritional value that is equally important.

Carbohydrate and sugar are not the only factors that may affect your oral health; you may also suffer tooth loss as a result of imbalanced diet. If your diet lacks certain nutritional elements, it may speed up periodontal disease, especially in adults.

Foods that are Beneficial To your Oral Health

The good news is cavity can be prevented and you may also avoid getting gum disease or suffering tooth loss if you adopt the right kind of nutritional lifestyle.

“Dairy Cow” by U.S. Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Below is a list of foods that you should consider adding to your diet that are sure to promote good oral health:

• Cheese; a study carried out by researchers shows that the ph level of the mouth increases when cheese is consumed, thereby protecting the teeth from acid that may result in cavities.
• Dairy; dairy products are naturally high in calcium and vitamin D which help is strengthening the teeth and bones generally. They also prevent tooth decay. Remember to check the labels on the products you consume so as not to consume a lot of added sugar used in preparing some of these products.
• Vitamin C; this strengthens the immune system and also protects you from gum disease and bacterial infection.
• Vegetables and Fruits; asides from some parts of this group being a good source of vitamin C, eating raw vegetables also act as good cleaning tool for the mouth. This helps in cleaning plaque. Vegetables are also very high in water and fibre; both of which are good for general well-being.

“fruits and vegetables” by Jerome Bon is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Conclusion:

Toothaches can be very painful and it is always better to prevent it.

Be more deliberate in your diet. Increase your intake of vegetables and fruits.

Replace unhealthy snacks with healthier ones such as cheese and snacks.

Avoid food with high sugar content and also avoid sticky food which may stay on the teeth for much longer, creating cavities.

A well balanced diet habit helps maintain a good oral health as well as overall wellness.

Never skip your regular dental check-ups.

There is nothing as beautiful as a great smile. If you have already suffered some tooth loss for whatever reason or you are suffering from any form of tooth related issues, you should speak to the dentists over at TigerSmile  Dental today.