We’ve often been told about the benefits of maintaining a healthy diet. More so, what, how, and when we eat has a huge impact on our health in terms of weight, metabolism, immunity, and other factors. However, since the dawn of fast food chains, healthy eating habits have gone for a toss. In today’s world, we’ve forgotten what organic, healthy, and nutritious food even tastes like. It’s extremely important to remember that a good diet is essential not just for the body, but also for your teeth. If you would like to ensure good dental and overall health, then here’s a list of best and worst foods and drinks for your teeth.
The worst foods and drinks
In order to classify foods as good or bad for your overall oral health, you need to understand what actually causes damage. The damage starts as soon as you start chewing sugary or acidic foods. The high amount of sugar and carbohydrate in the mouth gets converted by salivary bacteria into acids that decays the tooth enamel. So, a general rule of thumb is to snack as little as possible and even try to completely cut off foods like-
Candies, lollipops, mint, and toffee
Bread
Cakes
Dried fruit
Anything that is sugary and acidic in nature like sour candies or lemon sodas
When it comes to drinks, it’s advisable that you avoid the sugary ones. Here’s a list of drinks that wreck havoc on your teeth and overall oral health.
Soda! It’s no surprise that too much of this can literally erode away your teeth. Apart from the sugar, the carbon dioxide also causes a lot of damage. If you can’t give it up, reduce your consumption and have it with food to limit the damage caused to your pearly whites.
Energy drinks seem like the perfect pick-me-up after an energetic workout. A recent study reveals that they may be even more dangerous than sodas and canned fruit juices.
Alcohol can give rise to oral cancer. And wine causes staining on your teeth, which can become permanent if it isn’t treated immediately.
Coffee is an equally strong staining agent and the stains can be worse than those left behind by tobacco. Coffee also makes teeth sticky, which in turn attracts bacteria.
The best foods and drinks
Now the question remains, what’s good for your oral health? What can you consume that will not only keep your diet interesting and delicious, but will also keep your teeth healthy?
Here’s a list of foods that’s both delicious and healthy!
Sugarless gum is your go-to companion. It stimulates saliva production, which washes away all acids from the surface of your teeth. However, avoid fruit-flavored gums as it contains artificial flavors.
Cheese is the ultimate source of calcium, but almost any dairy product is your savior. Calcium and casein, both found in dairy products, contribute and work together in stabilizing and repairing the tooth enamel.
Leafy vegetables and high-fiber foods are good for your oral health because just the act of chewing these vegetables cleans your teeth.
Apples and carrots are crunchy and full of fiber, but any other fruit that falls in the same category will do the trick. They should be consumed at the end of a meal to stimulate a mouth cleansing effect.
The best drinks are ones you probably already consume and if not, it’s time you started doing so.
Water. This one is a no-brainier as it washes away all bad acids. Fluoridated water is a plus.
Green tea is effective in preventing any bacterial formation/infection
Milk is alkaline in nature and washes out the acids left behind by sugar
Diluted fruit juices without any additives
It maybe impossible for you to completely avoid junk foods or sugary drinks, but you can definitely balance it well with their healthy counterparts, to ensure good oral health. Also, you can get a regular checkup done to steer clear of oral diseases.