In 2018, 74.7% of Canadians reported that they saw a dental professional. Visiting the dentist is an integral part of oral health, but there is more to it than that. Because your diet can affect your oral health, you need to be cautious of what you are consuming.
Read on to learn how your diet can affect your oral health.
How Does Diet Affect Oral Health?
Your general health includes your dental health, which means a balanced and nutritious diet can benefit your teeth just as much as the rest of your body. The right nutrients can lower the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
The consumption of sugary sodas, sweetened fruit drinks, and non-nutritious snacks can lead to tooth decay. Although tooth decay is a common chronic disease beginning in childhood, it is preventable. When plaque on your teeth come into contact with sugar, acid attacks the teeth, which causes them to decay.
Including the consumed items mentioned before, foods of any kind that contain sugar can aid in tooth decay. It is crucial to control the amount of sugar you eat by reading ingredient labels and nutrition facts. Bite Dental Works can provide suggestions on a nutritious diet and look for oral problems at a dental checkup.
Along with tooth decay, you need to worry about gum disease when considering your diet. Without certain nutrients, tissues inside of your mouth will have trouble resisting infection. If the gum disease gets severe, it could result in tooth loss.
Which Foods Affect the Health of Your Teeth and Gums?
Now that you know how diet can impact oral health, you can focus on creating a diet that will benefit you orally. Because sugar and acid are the leading cause of dental issues, anything with sugar in it, or that is acidic can affect the health of your teeth and gums.
Cutting out sweets completely is not a reality for most people. It is okay to eat sweets in moderation. To be extra cautious when it comes to oral health, brush your teeth after eating sugary items.
Pro tip: Eating sticky sweets can be harder on your teeth because they cling and don't brush away easier. You may want to avoid sticky sweets altogether.
What Foods Help Oral Health?
Foods without much sugar can help with oral health. To decrease your sugar intake, you can try these things:
Buying sugar-free snacks
Adding less sugar to drinks like tea or coffee
Using sugar substitutes
Avoiding sweetened soft drinks
Buying juice with no added sugar
Reading ingredient lists before buying
Chewing sugarless gum
Rinsing after drinking sugary or acidic drinks
How does diet affect your oral health when it comes to drinks? Well, sugary drinks are just as bad as sugary foods. A good habit is to make water your drink of choice.
Drinking water is beneficial to your overall health as it keeps you hydrated without sugar, sodium, calories, or fats. The next time you are thinking about how your diet impacts your oral health, pick up a bottle of water instead of a soda, juice or sport drink.
Improving Oral Health Naturally
A bad diet can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, two common dental problems that no one wants to have. With the right diet, you can prevent these issues and improve your oral health naturally.
Keep your teeth cleaned and healthy by visiting Bite Dental Works regularly and sticking to a great diet.