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9 Foods that Promote Dental Health

So you keep your biannual check ups with your dentist. You brush your teeth for two to three minutes and floss twice a day. Is there anything else you can do or celebrate that you already do to promote your dental health? Yes! Here are 9 food items you may already (yeah you!) include in your diet to promote dental heath.

  1. Green Tea – many people already drink this for its weight loss benefits and as a healthy caffeine option to coffee. Not only will drinking not stain your teeth the say coffee might it also has polyphenols an antioxidant that helps to prevent plaque from sticking to your teeth. Less plaque, less chance of cavities and gum disease! Some green teas contain fluoride, which is widely known to protect tooth enamel from decay. Also you can skip that sugar-free gum or mints because green tea has been known to stall the growth of bacteria that causes bad breath.
  2. Cheese – Not usually on the super healthy list, you can celebrate including some cheese in your diet as its high calcium and the phosphate content helps to balance your mouth’s pH levels. Swiss, cheddar, camembert, and mozzarella have high levels of phosphate which helps to preserve and rebuild tooth enamel, helps to produce saliva, and helps to eradicate the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.
  3. Vegetables High in Vitamin A – For instance broccoli, carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes all provide a healthy dose of vitamin A which is vital in the creation of tooth enamel. Crunchy vegetables also help to clean your teeth and stimulate your gums as you crunch into them.
  4. Onions – Fresh, raw onion may be best known as a bad breath creator, it also offers powerful antibacterial sulfur compounds  that have been shown to kill various types of bacteria that cause bad breath. Talk about a catch 22!
  5. Celery – as anyone who’s ever been on a diet will tell you celery takes more calories to chew and digest then they contain within their fibrous stalks. But did you know that because of all that chewing that is required to eat celery results in plenty of saliva, which is a natural neutralizer of cavity causing bacteria. These crunchy buddies also massage the gums and help to cleanse between the teeth. It won’t preclude flossing, however every little bit helps!
  6. Unsweetened Milk and Yogurt – not only do they offer a wonderful wallop of calcium, which ever little kid knows keeps your teeth and bones healthy and strong, but both these dairy products have a low acidity. Foods with low acidity cause less dental erosion. Since you’ve chosen unsweetened, you’re also looking at less tooth decay as well.
  7. Fruit High in Vitamin C such as kiwi, papaya, guava, strawberries apples and citrus fruits – Everyone knows that vitamin C is good for us, who wants to experience scurvy? But did you know that it’s thought of as the glue that connects your cells? Studies have shown that the collagen network in your gums may breakdown without the enough vitamin C. Your gums become tender and therefore more vulnerable to bacteria with the possible result of periodontal disease.
  8. Beef, Chicken, Turkey and Eggs – Meat in moderation is a great idea to add phosphorous to your diet. Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorous are integral to strong bones. Strong bones mean strong teeth which means a mouth with possibly less tooth decay.
  9. Water – being well hydrated is essential for so many systems in the body but as you might have read in our ‘So You Have a Little Dry Mouth” post being well hydrated is integral to the creation of saliva which acts as an antibacterial agent in the mouth protecting the teeth and gums from disease.

These 9 foods are an excellent support to your dental regime, let’s hold up a glass of green tea to toast the idea that we may have healthy teeth until the end of our days.

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