You’ve heard the expression, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But what about the dentist? Do apples clean your teeth? We know there are bad foods for teeth, but are there foods good for your teeth?
Beavers & Broomfield Family Dentistry cares for many teeth, and we want our patients to have the healthiest teeth possible. Most people know what foods cause cavities, but did you know there are foods that strengthen your teeth? Let’s look at some enamel-strengthening foods that can help you keep your teeth clean and healthy!
What Makes Your Teeth Stronger?
Your teeth have three main layers: the enamel, the dentin, and the pulp. The enamel is the hard outer shell that protects the tooth’s interior. The dentin is a thick inner layer that protects the tooth’s living tissue, the pulp. The tooth’s pulp holds the blood supply that keeps the tooth alive.
Healthy teeth can last a lifetime with proper cleaning and care. Teeth that lack proper care and cleaning can become infected, die, and fall out. The best way to prevent this is to brush and floss your teeth daily and visit your dentist twice a year for cleaning and examination.
There are other ways to keep your teeth healthy. Fluoride is a mineral that strengthens your enamel. Brushing with a fluoride toothbrush makes your teeth stronger.
Healthy eating can also strengthen your teeth. Did you know there are certain foods you can eat that can clean plaque off your teeth?
What Foods Are Good For Your Teeth?
Many foods are good for your teeth. Some clean your teeth, some increase your saliva, and some even strengthen your enamel.
Enamel-Strengthening Foods
Certain vitamins and minerals are necessary for healthy teeth and gums. We know fluoride strengthens your enamel. You also need calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and D to strengthen your teeth and bones.
If you’re looking for fluoride, are there drinks that are good for your teeth? Absolutely! Water is your best bet. Most cities and municipalities add fluoride to water to strengthen your teeth. Water is also good for your overall health.
Tea is another great option for your teeth. Black tea has fluoride in it, as well as antioxidants that can strengthen your teeth. However, sugar added to tea can cause cavities, so it’s best to drink sugar-free tea.
Fluoride can also be found in certain foods. This includes beets, carrots, beans, canned tomato products, seafood, and cheeses. These are some of the foods with fluoride that can strengthen your tooth enamel.
Dairy such as milk, yogurt, and cheeses contain high levels of calcium, a mineral vital to keeping bones and teeth strong. Certain nuts, like almonds, contain calcium as well.
Foods That Increase Saliva Production
Fluoride is absorbed into enamel through a chemical reaction with your saliva. Foods that stimulate saliva production help strengthen your enamel. Saliva also helps rinse plaque and food particles from your teeth, which reduces your chances of tooth decay.
Remember those apples? The crispness of apples helps scrub your teeth clean, and they increase saliva production. Pears do the same. Oranges, pineapples, celery, strawberries, carrots, and hard cheeses can increase saliva production and clean your teeth, too.
Another food that can help clean your teeth — sugarless gum! There is a catch, though. It has to contain Xylitol, a sugar substitute that reduces acidity in your mouth. Those acids can attack your enamel.
What Are Bad Foods for Teeth?
Now that you know what’s good for teeth, what bad food for teeth is there? The biggest answer is sugar. Foods with lots of sugar encourage the production of acids and bacteria in your mouth that attack enamel and cause tooth decay and gum disease.
As good as fruits are for your teeth, they also contain natural sugars and acids that can attack your enamel, even as they encourage saliva production and provide protein. Still, these natural sugars are far healthier than those processed sugars in candies, desserts, and sodas.
Foods high in processed sugar often have little nutritional value, unlike fruits. That’s why we recommend you enjoy these in moderation. That includes candy, chocolates, pudding, cookies, and other sugary desserts. It also can include snacks such as chips and beverages such as sodas and wine.
Keeping Your Teeth Healthy
The best way to keep your teeth healthy is to keep them clean. Brush your teeth at least twice a day every day, and floss at least once a day. Brush your teeth for at least two minutes at a time, making sure you brush every surface of every tooth.
Floss your teeth first to brush away the plaque you remove from between your teeth. Use dental floss, which has better scrubbing power than water flossers. However, a water flosser is a great complement to dental floss and can be used for the rest of the day.
Healthy Teeth in Fayetteville, AR
Healthy eating is key to healthy teeth and gums. Not only will it strengthen your enamel with fluoride, but eating fruits and vegetables provides the vitamins and minerals you need to improve your teeth, gums, and bones.
You also need a thorough, professional cleaning and examination at least twice a year. If you’re looking for a dentist in Fayetteville, AR, Beavers & Broomfield Family Dentistry is here for you! Schedule an appointment, and let us help you keep a healthy smile for a lifetime!
