Do you know your dietary choices are crucial to dental and oral health? The difference between a bright smile and frequent dental visits is generally what you consume daily. Bacteria that cause gum diseases and cavities thrive on starchy and sugary foods you consume. 

Even with an excellent oral care routine (brushing and flossing), keeping your teeth pearly white and healthy in the long run could be challenging if your dietary choices are poor. While avoiding foods with detrimental consequences for our oral health is easy, educating yourself about foods that can help keep your teeth healthy is a wise idea for the bright smile you deserve.

Eating a balanced diet that contains all the nutrients your teeth require to grow and stay healthy is essential. Below are the top nutrient-dense foods that you would want to incorporate into your diet for a bright smile:

Dairy Products

In addition to being delicious, dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are friends to your teeth because they contain calcium, which strengthens the enamel on your teeth and prevents cavities.

Cheese's high phosphate levels help reduce mouth acidity, which creates an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive. Dairy products also contain casein, a vital protein that helps repair and stabilize tooth enamel.

If you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk, you do not have to worry because there are lactose-free dairy products that you can consume.

Leafy Greens and Crunchy Vegetables

Leafy greens and crunchy vegetables are another universally recommended healthy food for improved dental and oral health. They contain folic acid, fiber, and vital vitamins, like vitamins C and A, essential for gums and teeth.

In addition to strengthening teeth's enamel and removing food particles and sugars that remain on the surface of teeth and tongue after eating, these delicious and healthful foods can stimulate salivary glands to produce more saliva. Adequate saliva also helps neutralize the acidity of your mouth, especially after eating acidic foods, preventing erosion of your teeth' enamel.

Examples of crunchy vegetables and leafy greens you should consider incorporating into your diet include the following:

  • Carrots
  • Spinach
  • Celery
  • Cabbage
  • Lettuce
  • Kale
  • Chard
  • Broccoli

Fresh Fruits

Fruits' crunchy fibers help clean teeth like a regular toothbrush. In addition to providing essential nutrients, fruits like apples and pears help increase saliva production. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, saliva helps wash away food particles and neutralize the acidity in your mouth, preventing cavities and other oral health issues.

Because dried fruits have a high sugar content and are more likely to stick to the surface of and between your teeth, you should avoid eating them. Aside from apples and pears, other healthy fruits your dentist could recommend for a bright and healthy smile you deserve include:

  • Watermelon
  • Blueberries
  • Cranberries
  • Grapefruit
  • Oranges

Fruits like oranges are also rich in vitamin C, which helps strengthen blood vessels and connective tissues that support the gums. Cranberries also contain a chemical compound known as polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant that helps disrupt plaque formation on the surface of teeth, keeping cavities at bay.

Nuts and Seeds

Need to feel the crunch? Then, you should consider incorporating nuts and seeds into your diet. Many love to eat nuts to relax, but few know their oral and dental health benefits. Nuts like almonds, cashews, and Brazilian nuts contain several nutrients and minerals, including phosphorus and calcium, which strengthen your jawbone and teeth and prevent decay and cavities.

Nuts like almonds contain vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect gums from free radicals. Eating nuts and seeds, like chia seeds, also encourages your salivary glands to produce more saliva, naturally cleansing your mouth and teeth.

Lean Meat and Fatty Fish

Another nutritious meal you need to incorporate into your diet for a healthy smile is lean meat and fatty fish, like tofu and salmon. Consuming lean meat and fatty fish provides your body with adequate proteins to rebuild your mouth tissues because they are low in sugar and carbohydrates.

Aside from being rich in protein and several other nutrients vital for your dental health, chewing lean meat, like chicken, can also increase saliva production to neutralize the acidity in your mouth and wipe away bacteria. The acidity in your mouth is mostly from acidic secretions that bacteria release and acidic fruits like orange and lemon.

Fatty fish like salmon are also rich in phosphorus, which helps remineralize teeth enamel and prevent cavities. Salmon is also rich in vitamin D, which is vital in helping your body absorb calcium for strong bones and teeth.

Whole Grains

Consuming whole-grain foods can improve oral and dental health. Eating whole-grain foods like brown rice, oatmeal, and white bread can help lessen the risk of dental and gum diseases because they are rich in vital nutrients like vitamin B, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus.

Unlike simple carbohydrates, whole-grain foods do not stick to the surface of your teeth after eating, reducing the chances of developing cavities. Thanks to their complex carbohydrates, which are bacteria's least favorite food.

Mint

Aside from helping freshen your breath, adding mint to your grocery list can help improve your oral and dental health due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Eating this tiny herb regularly can also help reduce the bleeding and swelling of your gums and keep bacteria at bay.

Fluoridated Water

We all know that water is vital for our general health. Staying hydrated is crucial for your dental health, as is eating healthy foods. After all, there is a high chance that you often drink sugary and acidic beverages more than you eat, increasing the risk of tooth decay and cavities.

While it is fun and appealing to drink vintage wines, fizzy sodas, sweet juices, and other beverages, they contain sugar content, which feeds cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth. Hence, regular hydration is essential, especially if you often drink sweetened or colored beverages.

Aside from helping you hydrate, water can help keep your saliva levels high and clean away the sugar content that lingers in your mouth after sipping your favorite beverage, keeping cavities and bad breath issues at bay. Fluoridated water also helps remineralize and strengthen teeth to prevent enamel erosion and cavities. Unlike all other drinks, fluoridated water is the most healthy drink you can have.

Coffee and Green Tea

Drinking a few cups of sugarless green tea or coffee daily can enhance oral and dental health. Coffee and green tea also contain a vital chemical known as catechins, a natural antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation and fight harmful bacteria in your mouth.

In addition, coffee and green tea can help increase saliva production, which is vital in lowering acidity and washing away cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth.

Onions

While not everyone likes onions due to their strong odor, they can help improve your gums and dental health because of their antibacterial properties. Additionally, onions contain sulfur compounds that help neutralize gum disease and cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth. Eating your onions raw is the best way to preserve these helpful properties.

Shiitake Mushrooms

In addition to their tasty flavor, shiitake mushrooms have antibacterial properties that help keep gum diseases and cavities at bay. The antibacterial properties of shiitake mushrooms are primarily due to a polysaccharide known as lentinan, which inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are delicious and a great source of important nutrients that keep your teeth strong. For example, vitamin A in sweet potatoes plays a crucial role in maintaining and repairing your mouth's soft tissues and mucous membranes. Additionally, the vitamin A in sweet potatoes supports the maintenance of keratin, a protein that aids in the growth of strong tooth enamel.

Raisins

Raisins are a healthy snack that can help improve dental health if you eat them in moderation. They contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that help fight off harmful bacteria in your mouth, reducing the risk of gum disease and cavities. Raisins also aid in boosting iron levels in the body, which are necessary for the growth of strong bones and teeth.

If you want to incorporate raisins into your diet, you can enjoy this nutrient-rich fruit in many ways. For example, you can use raisins as a salad or sweet toppings in yogurt and cereal. Raisins are a great alternative to sweet, highly processed snacks, like candies and chocolate, which are common causes of cavities.

Sugarless Chewing Gums

While technically they are not foods, sugarless chewing gums can help improve your oral and dental health. Chewing sugarless chewing gums can help:

  • Remove plaque and tartar stuck in the surface of your teeth
  • Remove food particles stuck in between the gaps of your teeth
  • Stimulate the production of more saliva to neutralize acidity in your mouth and wash away plaque

Chewing gums also contain a naturally occurring sweetener known as xylitol, which has antibacterial properties. According to a 2017 review of multiple studies, xylitol helps reduce the amount of cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth.

Unless you have TMJ (temporomandibular disorder) or jaw pains, you should consider munching on sugarless chewing gums often, especially after eating, to improve your dental and oral health.

Generally speaking, your general body health and dental health are interconnected. That means your health issue can affect your dental and oral health. In addition to keeping your body healthy, eating a balanced diet can help you avoid dental and oral health problems.

A reliable dentist can help you determine the best foods to incorporate into your daily diet to improve your dental and oral health.

Examples of Foods That Could Damage Your Teeth

You would like to know which foods to avoid now that you know which are suitable for oral and dental health. When you eat starchy, acidic, or sugary foods or drinks, the harmful bacteria in your mouth release acidic excretions to break down foods that linger or stick on the surface of your teeth after eating.

Unfortunately, these acidic secretions also cause tooth enamel erosion, putting you at risk of cavities. To that end, knowing which foods can put you at risk of cavities or other health issues is a wise idea. Some of the foods you should avoid to stay on top of your dental and oral health include:

  • Sugary foods, like soda and sports drinks
  • Refined carbohydrates, like white bread and potato chips
  • Alcohol because it can dry your mouth
  • Sticky foods, like taffy
  • Hard foods, like nuts and pretzels
  • Chewy and hard foods
  • Pickled foods
  • Coffee
  • Red
  • Fruit juices
  • Apple cider vinegar

You must limit or avoid certain foods to maintain excellent oral and dental health throughout your lifetime. If you want to stay on top of your dental health, retaining the services of a reliable dentist is key. Aside from being your go-to person for routine oral and dental check-ups, your dentist can recommend foods you can incorporate into your diet for healthy teeth and gums.

For the best and outstanding oral and dental care services you and your family members deserve, you should ensure the dentist you choose is:

  • Accessible and available
  • Qualified and experienced
  • Reputable
  • Licensed
  • Cost-friendly

Find a Northridge Dentist Near Me

In addition to brushing and flossing your teeth daily, incorporating healthy and nutrient-rich foods into your diet is vital. If you are unsure which foods you can add to your diet and which foods you should avoid to stay on top of your dental health, consulting an experienced dentist would help.

Aside from treating your dental and oral health issues, a skilled and seasoned dentist will also help you create a diet plan with all the healthy foods you need for healthy teeth and gums. At Northridge Advanced Dentistry, we pride ourselves on being equipped with modern dentistry equipment and reliable dentists ready to help you stay on top of your dental and oral health.

Call us at 818-701-3010 to discuss your oral and dental health concerns with one of our understanding dentists. After examining your dental health, our dentist will recommend nutritious foods you should add to your diet for improved dental and oral health.