You really are what you eat!
As a dental assistant, I am interested in ways you can preserve the health of your teeth and overall health. This year, I researched ways that the foods you eat affect your oral health. Through a collection of research studies, I have found healthy diet choices and habits that will increase the length of the lives of each tooth you have. Your mouth is the window to your body, which is why it is so important for you to take time to educate yourself on a few simple ways to improve your body’s health.
Foods and drinks that you consume affect the erosion, or wearing away, that occurs to your teeth. Limiting or avoiding certain foods improves your dental hygiene by keeping more balanced pH levels. The acids and bases that are found naturally in foods and beverages will affect your pH levels once consumed and determine the chemical makeup of your saliva. Although there are foods and beverages that are better to avoid, there are also specific foods and drinks that are beneficial to keep in your diet in order to keep optimal oral health.
Limiting sugary foods is beneficial to both your dental hygiene and overall health. Sugars interact with the plaque bacteria in your mouth, which produces acids. According to the Indian journal of clinical, when sugar is consumed it immediately begins to interact with the bacteria within the plaque to produce acid. This acid is responsible for tooth decay because it slowly dissolves the enamel creating holes or cavities in the teeth. Tooth decay can lead to tooth abscesses, which may result in the tooth having to be removed. Acid is what dissolves your enamel, which causes tooth decay when it is left on the tooth.
There are specific vitamins and minerals, found in foods and drinks, that are beneficial to keep in your diet in order to keep optimal oral health. A diet rich in minerals can naturally help strengthen tooth enamel while vitamins can improve the way your body uses the fuel it is given.
Calcium is one of the most important minerals for healthy teeth because it helps strengthen your enamel. (Vermeer) You most likely know that dairy products are a great source of calcium, but leafy greens, beans, and almonds are also good sources of calcium!
When considering how to strengthen tooth enamel, we also consider phosphorus. Phosphorus plays a critical role in dental health because it can naturally help protect and help rebuild tooth enamel. The best sources of phosphorus can be found in protein-rich foods like meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.
Certain vitamins determine your bone-density, growth rates, and ability to heal on your own. Vitamin A is a key nutrient in your gums’ health as well as tooth enamel. Teeth enamel contains keratin, a protein that uses vitamin A in its formation process. Most foods with vitamin A are orange. This makes it easy to remember that sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and carrots are all vitamin A powerhouses. Including vitamin A rich foods or supplements into your diet may help strengthen enamel. According to Chambial, Vitamin C plays an important role in the synthesis of collagen in dentin, making it a valuable vitamin when it comes to oral health. Vitamin C also plays a vital role in the growth, repair, and maintenance of teeth. Seek out foods high in vitamin C, such as oranges or kale, to potentially give your body an oral care boost.
Vitamin K can help strengthen teeth due to its important role as a calcium-binder (Vermeer). It can also assist with both bone growth and bone density. With the incorporation of these few vitamins and minerals into your diet, you’ll discover how to strengthen tooth enamel naturally, potentially giving you stronger teeth and healthier oral hygiene. Seek out foods high in vitamin K such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts to incorporate into your diet.
Vitamin D is doubly important because not only does it boost mineral density. According to Schellhorn’s “New developments and novel therapeutic perspectives for vitamin C,”it also helps absorb, carry, and deposit calcium in the bones that support your teeth. It is an essential vitamin when it comes to your body absorbing calcium. You may have seen that some dairy products and cereal are fortified with vitamin D, but you can also get it naturally from the sun.
If you are what you eat, that’s even more true for your teeth and gums. When you drink and eat starchy or sugary foods, you’re not only feeding yourself. You’re also feeding the bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease in your mouth. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, Plaque is a thin, invisible, sticky film of bacteria and other materials. It covers all the surfaces of all your teeth. When sugars or starches in your mouth come in contact with plaque, acids form. These acids can attack your teeth for 20 minutes or longer after you finish eating. Repeated attacks can break down the hard enamel on the surface of teeth. This leads to tooth decay. The bacteria in plaque also triggers an inflammatory response. This causes the breakdown of the gums, bone, and other supporting structures of your teeth.
It is important to be aware of the ways food can both improve and impair your oral health since the acids and bases in foods and beverages that you consume determines the makeup of your saliva. Foods that you eat affect the erosion that occurs to your teeth and change pH levels. A diet rich in minerals is important in order to have strong tooth enamel, and sufficient vitamins are needed for bodily characteristics, such as your bone-density, growth rates, and ability to heal. Limiting certain foods improves your dental hygiene by balancing pH levels while specific foods and drinks that are beneficial to keep in your diet in order to keep optimal oral health. Foods and drinks that you consume affect the erosion, or wearing away, that occurs to your teeth. Limiting or avoiding certain foods improves your dental hygiene by keeping more balanced pH levels. On the other hand, you should make sure to include the specific vitamins and minerals, found in foods and drinks, that are beneficial to keep in your diet in order to keep optimal oral health.
I hope you have learned a few facts that you will implement into your daily lifestyle, and hope that you stay healthy and strong.
