It’s not a secret that the food that you eat impacts your oral health. Having a healthy, balanced diet and good oral hygiene is vital to keeping your teeth and gums as healthy as possible. When you’re after a quick snack, we’re more likely to go to the quick and easy to grab options which aren’t always the best for our teeth. Our drink choices are the same, high-sugar or highly acidic drinks (like juices, wines, or soft drinks) can damage our teeth with erosion to the enamel causing sensitivity and leaving us more likely to get decay.
The question is now, why should we choose these foods on this list? Keep reading to find out what you should be reaching for when looking for your next snack and why!
Dairy
Milks, cheese, and yoghurt are a great snack to have available for you and your family. These foods promote saliva production in your mouth which helps to wash away the leftover food away from your teeth which protects the teeth from decay. They are also high in calcium and protein which strengthens the teeth.
Leafy greens
Adding more vegetables into your diet is the best thing you can do for your body. They are rich in vitamins and minerals which can help you in so many ways. Eating more leavy greens help with saliva production and with none of the bad sugars to sit around your teeth, it aids with reducing decay.
Carrots, celery, and apples
Apples are still a perfect snack to grab when you’re looking for a sweet snack! The sugars help carve into that sweet tooth that you might have.
Along with the added benefits of the vitamins and minerals in carrots and celery, the texture of these two can actually help by removing plaque build-up on the teeth as you chew.
Tea, nuts, and lean proteins
If you add more unsweetened black or green tea into your diet, you will be adding more ingredients that will aid in reducing plaque. Nuts are high in proteins and low in sugar which is a great alternative to sugary snacks like biscuits or lollies. Lean proteins like meat, fish and tofu all have added benefits of phosphorus and proteins to help keep your teeth strong.
Drink water!
Water is one of the best ways to help your saliva dilute the sugars and acids that our teeth may come in contact with. As we mentioned at the start, highly acidic drinks like soft drink, juice and wine can cause erosion over the tooth enamel. Rinsing your mouth with water after drinking is great to neutralise the acids.
With work and school starting back after the holiday season, use this list to make sure you and your family are including more of these into your diet to help protect your teeth in between check-ups!