There is a very strong and direct link between your diet and your dental health. Like other parts of your body, your teeth require several essential vitamins and minerals to function properly. It’s a well-known fact that the nutrients that maintain your bones and body muscles are also responsible for the maintenance of your teeth and gums. It is therefore important to ensure a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. And if you think that consuming vitamin supplements instead of natural foods is good enough; you are absolutely wrong! Browse through dental health information online and you will find that there is no substitute for a nutritional diet.
Health experts suggest that a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle should be maintained throughout pregnancy, through breastfeeding, and eventually into childhood and adulthood. This is because the amount of sugar and chewy and sticky foods you eat from your first few days ultimately determines the quality of your dental health.
So what do you need to include in your diet to prevent tooth decay and maintain good oral hygiene? Well, to start with, make a habit of consuming foods like:
1) Leafy green vegetables rich in vitamin A and vitamin B complex. A lack of these can result in bleeding gums, overgrown gums, and other gum diseases.
2) Dark green vegetables, whole grain cereals, and whole grain breads that are high in B-complex vitamins. These prevent cracking and bleeding of the lips, as well as sores and lesions in the mouth.
3) Fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C. These promote healthy gum tissue.
The most useful and nutritious foods that help teeth and gums stay healthy are yogurt and milk. Both have a high amount of calcium and are less acidic. This factor helps build teeth and bones. You can also consume green tea which reduces plaque and tooth decay as it contains fluoride as well as polyphonic antioxidants. Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and phosphate. It helps balance the pH in the mouth. This in turn builds up tooth enamel, produces saliva and kills bacteria. Dental health information also emphasizes including the following foods in your daily diet:
1) Magnesium and zinc rich foods such as fish, poultry and lean meats. These help build healthy teeth.
2) Copper-rich foods like legumes, seafood, nuts, molasses, raisins, and soybeans. These are a must for good oral health.
3) Potassium-rich foods such as banana, fig, apricot, date, raisin, and tomato juice.
4) Zinc-rich foods such as soybeans, liver, spinach, sunflower seeds, and mushrooms.
5) Iron-rich foods such as red meat, iron-rich cereals, liver, beef, spinach, whole grains, and dried fruit.
However, foods you must avoid are carbohydrates, fructose, sucrose and maltose as they are known to cause tooth decay. Also, avoid sticky foods as they stick to your teeth for a long time and lead to acid build-up.
You can easily avoid dental work if you include all of the above nutrients in your daily diet. Also, make sure you drink enough water every day as it is good for your dental health.
Thanks to Amit Kothiyaal
