Best and Worst Foods for Healthy Teeth & Gums
Prevention is always the best medicine. And that naturally goes for your teeth as well as the rest of your body. Even though a dentist can usually fix teeth when necessary, it’s still always best and less expensive to prevent cavities and gum problems by taking good care of your teeth.
So the first step – step #1, as we all know, is to brush your teeth frequently.
Step #2 is to remember to floss often – especially the teeth you want to keep. And step #3 is to eat the right foods to maintain strong, healthy teeth. And that’s a bit more challenging.
The Healthy Teeth Don’ts
Before we take a look at which foods are the best foods to eat for strong, healthy teeth, let’s first take a quick look at which foods you should not be eating. All refined carbohydrates, including candies, colas, cookies, crackers, cakes, etc., should be avoided as much as possible.
Refined carbohydrates, including white bread, white rice, white pasta and refined cereals, almost immediately convert into sugar in your mouth, which feeds cavity-forming bacteria.
And any drink that would stain your tablecloth will also stain your teeth.
The Healthy Teeth Dos
So what are the best foods for your teeth?
Dairy products rich in calcium and casein are at the top of the list. These essential nutrients play a vital role in strengthening and repairing tooth enamel. Since whole milk dairy products are high in unhealthy saturated fats, be sure to choose non-fat or low-fat dairy foods instead.
Healthy high fiber foods, particularly leafy green vegetables, are great for improving the health of your teeth. Munching on a bowl full of Swiss chard or spinach generates lots of saliva, which is nature’s way of removing the corrosive acid produced by oral bacteria.
Chewing on high fiber foods also acts like a physical scrub to your teeth and stimulates gums.
And drinking lots of water (especially instead of colas and coffee) can also help prevent tooth decay. Water works in the same way as saliva, flushing away harmful sugars and acids. Water also contains naturally occurring fluoride that can help to protect teeth from erosion.
Healthy Food for Healthy Teeth
If you’re looking for a natural whitener, try strawberries, which contain enamel whitening malic acid. Crushed strawberries mixed with baking soda and spread on your teeth for about five minutes (before brushing and rinsing it off) can give you a brighter, whiter smile.
But since tiny berry seeds can get stuck between your teeth, always floss after every treatment.
You may have noticed that the best foods for healthy teeth are the very same foods that contribute to overall good health. And the same goes for unhealthy foods that cause many health problems. So having healthy teeth is just another reason to eat super healthy foods.
Go here for the best lists of healthy foods for healthy eating and healthy foods high in fiber.
And check out my free weekly Natural Health Newsletter.
Click here for the Site Map.
Articles you might also enjoy:
Best Foods to Eat for Great Health
The Many Health Benefits of Eating Kale
List of Unhealthy Foods to Avoid & Not to Eat
Top 10 Healthiest Foods for Eating Healthy Meals
To subscribe to the Natural Health Newsletter, just enter your email address in the subscribe box at the bottom of this page.
© Copyright by Moss Greene. All Rights Reserved.
Note: The information contained on this website is not intended to be prescriptive. Any attempt to diagnose or treat an illness should come under the direction of a physician who is familiar with nutritional therapy.
So the first step – step #1, as we all know, is to brush your teeth frequently.
Step #2 is to remember to floss often – especially the teeth you want to keep. And step #3 is to eat the right foods to maintain strong, healthy teeth. And that’s a bit more challenging.
The Healthy Teeth Don’ts
Before we take a look at which foods are the best foods to eat for strong, healthy teeth, let’s first take a quick look at which foods you should not be eating. All refined carbohydrates, including candies, colas, cookies, crackers, cakes, etc., should be avoided as much as possible.
Refined carbohydrates, including white bread, white rice, white pasta and refined cereals, almost immediately convert into sugar in your mouth, which feeds cavity-forming bacteria.
And any drink that would stain your tablecloth will also stain your teeth.
The Healthy Teeth Dos
So what are the best foods for your teeth?
Dairy products rich in calcium and casein are at the top of the list. These essential nutrients play a vital role in strengthening and repairing tooth enamel. Since whole milk dairy products are high in unhealthy saturated fats, be sure to choose non-fat or low-fat dairy foods instead.
Healthy high fiber foods, particularly leafy green vegetables, are great for improving the health of your teeth. Munching on a bowl full of Swiss chard or spinach generates lots of saliva, which is nature’s way of removing the corrosive acid produced by oral bacteria.
Chewing on high fiber foods also acts like a physical scrub to your teeth and stimulates gums.
And drinking lots of water (especially instead of colas and coffee) can also help prevent tooth decay. Water works in the same way as saliva, flushing away harmful sugars and acids. Water also contains naturally occurring fluoride that can help to protect teeth from erosion.
Healthy Food for Healthy Teeth
If you’re looking for a natural whitener, try strawberries, which contain enamel whitening malic acid. Crushed strawberries mixed with baking soda and spread on your teeth for about five minutes (before brushing and rinsing it off) can give you a brighter, whiter smile.
But since tiny berry seeds can get stuck between your teeth, always floss after every treatment.
You may have noticed that the best foods for healthy teeth are the very same foods that contribute to overall good health. And the same goes for unhealthy foods that cause many health problems. So having healthy teeth is just another reason to eat super healthy foods.
Go here for the best lists of healthy foods for healthy eating and healthy foods high in fiber.
And check out my free weekly Natural Health Newsletter.
Click here for the Site Map.
Articles you might also enjoy:
Best Foods to Eat for Great Health
The Many Health Benefits of Eating Kale
List of Unhealthy Foods to Avoid & Not to Eat
Top 10 Healthiest Foods for Eating Healthy Meals
To subscribe to the Natural Health Newsletter, just enter your email address in the subscribe box at the bottom of this page.
© Copyright by Moss Greene. All Rights Reserved.
Note: The information contained on this website is not intended to be prescriptive. Any attempt to diagnose or treat an illness should come under the direction of a physician who is familiar with nutritional therapy.
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