Choosing the Healthiest Food for Teeth
Choosing the healthiest food for teeth can have a hugely positive impact on your oral health. Understanding why some foods are healthy for your teeth and others aren’t is the key.
This article serves as a nutritional guide and aims to help you choose healthy food for teeth and your overall oral health.
Table of Contents
Healthiest Food for Teeth: Understanding the Bacteria Process
There are over 6 billion types of bacteria that live in your mouth. Bacteria produce acid by the fermentation of carbohydrates and harm your teeth and gums.
After every bite or sip, it takes 20 minutes for the bacteria to neutralize and stop producing acid. Try to snack less and eat more meals. This will help minimize bacteria activity.
Bacteria builds up and multiplies over time. This is why it’s important to brush two times a day. Brushing in the morning will help reduce bacteria in the mouth that built up while you were sleeping.
Brushing and flossing at night will remove all the food bacteria feeds off of while you sleep.
Not Healthy Food for Teeth: A Cavity Causing Diet
Sugar
Bacteria consume sugar, produce acid, weaken enamel, and irritate gum tissue. The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar a year, breaking down to 6 cups a week.
- All sugar is consumed by bacteria in the same way and regardless of whether it’s organic, natural, or vegan. There are several sweetener alternatives that are better options. Check the Nutrition Facts Label to make sure it states 0 grams of sugar.
- Sugar is getting increasingly difficult to avoid in packaged foods. Try placing sugary foods with meals like juice and desserts. Choose sweets that melt off the teeth like chocolate, ice cream, and popsicles. Avoid sticky candies like caramels and taffy.
Bacteria Loving Beverages
Many beverages contain acids that splash on the teeth weakening them. These drink choices also stain the teeth easily. Try decreasing your exposure to the beverages below by choosing smaller amounts at a time, sipping less, and drinking them with meals.
- Alcohol: Any form of alcohol is very drying to the mouth and gum tissue. Decreased saliva flow increases the risk of oral infections like gum disease and cavities. It is also an irritant and the chemicals involved are linked to several forms of cancer.
- Coffee: Beverages containing coffee are acidic and break down enamel. They will also stain teeth and create a rougher surface for bacteria to cling to.
- Milk: Dairy contains a lot of natural sugar that breaks down in the mouth and feeds bacteria.
- Sports Drinks, Energy Drinks, & Soda: All these beverages are acidic and weaken enamel. Bacteria in the mouth thrive in an acidic environment. The sugar involved also feeds bacteria to produce cavities.
Using a straw with these drink choices can also prevent staining and decrease continual splashing that exposes them to the teeth.
Healthiest Food for Teeth
What is the healthiest food for teeth?
Choosing a well-balanced, nutritional diet will support your smile and overall health. The healthiest food for teeth contains high amounts of the vitamins and minerals. Here is a list of the most healthy food for teeth:
- Calcium helps keep your enamel strong and aids in jaw bone health. Foods that are rich in Calcium are dairy, salmon, broccoli, edamame, almond and soy milk, papaya, figs, and several beans.
- Phosphorus supports Calcium in strengthening jaw bone health. You can find these in lentils, dairy, peas and broccoli, brown rice, oranges, salmon, and beans.
- Vitamin D aids in decreasing gum inflammation and helps the body absorb Calcium. Find this vitamin in dairy, egg yolks, mushrooms, fortified cereals, and vegan milk alternatives, and of course the sun.
- Potassium improves jaw bone mineral density. It also works with Magnesium to regulate blood acidity preventing Calcium removal from the jawbone and teeth. You can find Potassium in bananas, tomatoes, avocados, sweet potatoes, and swiss chard.
Oral health can also affect your nutritional intake. Missing teeth can prevent you from eating certain foods and impact your intake of the healthiest foods for teeth and dental health. Our Tooth Replacement Guide can help you learn more about replacing missing teeth.
Water is Extremely Important
Water is the most supportive drink for oral health. Frequent sips of water throughout the day can help fight bacteria and work out food that gets trapped around the teeth.
- Fluoridated water can be found in groundwater, oceans, and the addition of a controlled amount to the public water supply. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking Fluoridated water can decrease cavities by 25%.
- Most bottled water is an acidic pH and aid in enamel erosion. This cancels out why water is the healthiest food for teeth by washing away acid from bacteria and acidic foods.
Recommendations on Healthy Food for Teeth
The best thing that you can possibly do is eat a well balanced, nutritional diet that is full of vitamins. This can be easily achieved by incorporating more vegetables into your diet and avoid sugary foods and drinks like candy and soda.
Generally speaking, the more colorful you can make your plate of food, the better it will likely be for your teeth. The healthiest food for teeth are going to be leafy greens, orange carrots, yellow bananas, etc.
Follow this nutritional guide and consume more healthy food for teeth and you’ll begin to see a noticeable difference in the overall health of your teeth and your oral health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What foods are bad for your teeth?
The unhealthiest food for your teeth contains high sugar amounts. Desserts such as candy, cakes, and cookies are obvious poor choices for oral health. Packaged, starchy foods like goldfish, chips, and crackers break down to sugar. When they mix with your saliva they stick to the teeth just like sticky candies. Sugary mints and gums also fall under this category.
What foods reverse tooth decay?
Unfortunately, once tooth decay is present, the cavity is present and can’t be impacted by nutrition. But the good thing is the start of cavities, called incipient decay or demineralization, can be strengthened. Foods with Calcium, Vitamin D, Phosphorus, and Magnesium works with good brushing and flossing to help stop cavity progression.
How can I make my teeth healthy again?
Prevention is key to healthy teeth. As stated above, choosing the healthiest food for teeth can be quite influential in oral health. Dental nutrition combined with good home care habits and dental cleanings/exams will set you up for healthy teeth. Visit our Guide to a Healthy Smile for home care tips.
Take Home Smile Store
Visit our Take Home Smile store for educational brochures and other fun printables to help with oral hygiene. All products can be customized to fit your dental needs.
