Category: Food & Teeth

Eating for Healthy Teeth

Nutrition for healthy teethDental health isn’t only about keeping your teeth clean and having regular checkups. (Although those two things are really important.) You might be surprised how important your diet is to maintaining good oral health. Of course we all know that too much sugar can cause cavities, but the links between diet and teeth go much deeper than that.

 

The Good

Balanced nutrition is important to both your overall health and keeping your teeth healthy, but here are some specifics to consider:

  • Water – Drinking lots of water is good for you in general, and it’s good for your teeth, too. Especially if your city’s water is fluoridated, water straight from the tap can really help your teeth stay healthy.
  • Dairy – Milk, cheese, and yogurt provide calcium your teeth need to stay strong. They’re also low in sugar (unless your yogurt has added sugar—be sure to read the label!) which makes them a good overall choice.
  • Protein – Meat, poultry, fish, and eggs are rich in phosphorus and proteins that are essential for healthy enamel. (Lean options are best.) Low-carbohydrate nuts are a also great choice, since the bacteria that cause cavities need those carbs to survive.
  • Fruits & Vegetables – High-fiber, low-sugar plats are great for your teeth. Chewing these foods helps to keep your teeth clean by stimulating saliva production, and your body will thank you for the vitamins and minerals, too.
  • Grains – Whole grains are an important part of a balanced diet, and therefore they’re important for your teeth, too. Choose whole grains like oatmeal, whole wheat, and brown rice.

The Bad

Avoid sugar—particularly added sugar (even in your coffee). But beyond this first rule, here are some other foods to avoid:

  • Sticky Foods – Anything sticky can cause problems, because sticky food stays in your mouth longer, giving bacteria time to multiply with a ready food source. Be sure to brush after eating anything sticky—even healthier foods like dried fruits.
  • Soda & Sports Drinks – Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Many sports drinks are surprisingly high in sugar, and soda certainly is. Break the habit and switch to plain water. Your teeth (and your waistline) will thank you for it.
  • Starches – Crispy snacks like chips are delicious, but those starches tend to get caught in teeth, again giving cavity-causing bacteria time to grow. Don’t indulge too often, and remember to floss thoroughly to be sure you don’t leave anything behind.
  • Citrus – Although high in vitamin C, citrus fruits are also very acidic, and regular exposure to that acid can erode enamel and make your teeth vulnerable to decay. Drinking lots of water when eating citrus can help mitigate the risks.
  • Ice – Cold drinks are great, but chewing ice is really hard on your teeth. The combination of cold and stress from biting into such a hard substance can damage enamel, and even crack or break teeth in some cases.

Halloween Perils

The leaves are falling, the wind is blowing, and little ghouls & goblins (and princesses and superheroes) are soon to be making the rounds. Halloween can be a lot of fun, of course—parties, trick-or-treating, dressing up—but it’s also probably the worst time of the year for your dental health.

Halloween candy is a delicious treat, but it can be a nasty trick you unwittingly play on your teeth.

Halloween Candy - delicious but bad for your teethThe worst candies you can eat are the sticky, chewy candies like caramels for example. The candy sticks to the teeth for a long time, giving the cavity-forming bacteria in your mouth longer to cause cavities, and they are known to pull off crowns and fillings.

– Dr. Meyer

Keep Teeth Safe This Halloween

Sure, Halloween candy can be bad for your teeth, but just a couple common-sense steps can make a big difference in limiting—or even preventing—the damage before it begins.

Monitor candy intake.

Be sure you know when your kids are eating candy. For example, don’t let them keep candy in their rooms to be eaten after bedtime tooth brushing. Limit how much candy your kids eat in a day—sugar is hard on more than just your teeth—and be sure they keep their teeth clean. (Which leads to our next suggestion.)

Up your brushing regimen.

A little extra brushing never hurts. Kids want a treat? Make a post-treat brushing part of the deal. Additional attention to keeping teeth clean (including flossing) will go a long way towards keeping teeth healthy. A big glass of water after a treat helps too.

Our Favorite Treats

(Yes, dentists enjoy treats too.)

What’s your favorite Halloween treat?

  • Meyer: My favorite Halloween treat is a caramel apple.
  • Johns: Reece’s peanut butter cups or Snickers.

How do you care for your teeth after you indulge?

  • Meyer: I will brush my teeth as soon as possible after eating the caramel apple. If not able to do that, I will at the least rinse with water thoroughly.
  • Johns: After some serious candy consumption I always just make sure to scrub my teeth extra long and go over every part of each tooth many times over. I do love Halloween and all that comes with it. Can’t wait to snag a few pieces from my kids stash. Good times.

Have fun this Halloween, but be sure to remember your teeth!

Acid Reflux: Hard on Your Teeth, Too

Acid Reflux is a condition that occurs when intestinal fluids escape your stomach into your esophagus and even your mouth. It can cause heartburn, bad breath, sinus infections, and difficulty swallowing. Fatty foods, or foods high in acid such as tomatoes or citrus fruits, can trigger reflux, as can caffeine and alcohol.

What many people may not realize is that reflux can negatively impact your dental health as well.

What Does This Have to Do with Teeth?

Gastric Acid

Increased acidity in your mouth can weaken and erode tooth enamel, particularly rear molars. In fact, your dentist may be the first to notice reflux concerns, as heartburn isn’t a symptom for everyone.
If you do experience reflux, avoid brushing your teeth immediately after an episode, as brushing could further damage teeth weakened by stomach acid. Instead, rinse your mouth well with water, or (even better) with a baking soda solution to reduce the acidity in your mouth. Chewing some sugar-free gum can help too, if rinsing for some reason isn’t immediately practical.

Experiencing Reflux?

Over-the-counter medications can ease reflux symptoms, but if you have concerns about acid reflux, you should speak to your physician.

You should also be sure to keep twice-yearly dental appointments to help identify dental and other health warning signs. We can also provide recommendations for mitigating enamel erosion and other dental issues—Meyer & Johns is always here to help.