Regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups are essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums, but what you eat matters too. Choosing the right foods helps support tooth and gum health while avoiding other foods and drinks can significantly reduce your risks of cavities, abscesses, sensitivity, and gum disease.
As a leading dentist in Novi, Michigan, Abir Faraj, DDS, and our team at Novi Family Dentistry are committed to helping our patients play proactive roles in their oral health, offering nutritional counseling focused on optimizing your oral health.
In this post, she offers a list of five common foods that can help you enjoy healthier teeth and gums now and in the future.
Most people know calcium is important for building healthy bones, and it’s important for strong teeth too. Calcium promotes healthy enamel, helping your teeth ward off cavities and infections.
Dairy products are great sources of calcium, and so are plant-based milks, tofu, and leafy greens like kale and spinach. Greens also contain other minerals important for your oral health, like magnesium and phosphorus.
Apples, carrots, celery, and other crispy or crunchy fruits and vegetables provide minerals and vitamins important for oral health while also helping remove sticky plaque film that increases your risk of cavities and gum disease. Chewing these foods also triggers saliva production, neutralizing acids that lead to enamel erosion.
Raw fruits and vegetables are also great chopped up and added to salads, yogurt, and smoothies. Use them as dippers with yogurt or hummus for added nutritional benefits.
Green tea doesn’t just taste good — data suggests it also improves oral health. Green tea contains special plant chemicals that help reduce inflammation and fight off bacteria, meaning it could help decrease your risks of cavities, infections, bad breath, plaque buildup, and gum disease.
Both hot and iced tea can be beneficial, making green tea an ideal beverage year-round. Avoid the temptation to add sugar, which can negate many of these benefits by encouraging both bacterial growth and inflammation.
Nuts and seeds are nutrient-dense, meaning they contain a lot of nutritional “punch” in a small package. They’re also very portable, making them a great on-the-go snack you can tuck into your pocket or backpack.
Many nuts contain high levels of calcium and phosphorus, two minerals essential for good oral health. Eat nuts and seeds on their own or incorporate them into salads, yogurt, oatmeal, or smoothies.
Poultry, fish, and eggs are excellent sources of phosphorus, essential for strengthening your teeth and rebuilding the strong layer of tooth enamel. Fatty fish is also a good choice, rich in vitamin D that helps maintain tooth strength.
Vegetarian or vegan? Tofu provides a healthy dose of phosphorus, too, along with calcium.
Choosing healthy foods and drinks is one simple way to improve your oral health without a lot of extra effort. Visiting our office for regular checkups is another.
If you’re due for your next checkup or you’d like to learn more about nutritional counseling, call 313-646-7903 or book an appointment online at Novi Family Dentistry today.
