You know that you have to see your Towson, MD dentist regularly and practice a good home oral care routine. But is there more that you can be doing to help your oral health? Your diet can play a large part in the health of your mouth. Dr. Kevin Welinsky of Welinsky Dental Care explains what you can add to your diet to help your teeth and mouth.
Water
Like the rest of your body, water is crucial to the upkeep of your oral health. It helps keep your mouth hydrated, increasing saliva production. This is essential to wash away harmful bacteria from your teeth.
Depending on where you’re getting your water, it also probably contains fluoride. Added to most modern tap water in the United States, fluoride helps protect your teeth from the acid that causes tooth decay. It’s important to keep the enamel on your teeth as strong as possible to prevent tooth decay from burrowing inside your teeth.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Again, to keep up saliva production, chewing helps benefit that. Crunchy and crispy fresh produce, such as celery or apples, takes more time and effort to chew. This means that more saliva is being produced throughout the process of breaking that food down. Therefore, saliva is washing away that acid and the food particles that may harm your teeth.
Fresh produce is also high in water and fiber. Since fresh fruits especially contain many sugars, the fiber and water content serve to balance out those sugars.
Cheese
As with many dairy products, cheese contains a solid amount of calcium and protein. Both of these things are important to strengthening the enamel on the outside of your teeth. Eating cheese has also been found to raise the pH in your mouth, reducing the risk of tooth decay, according to a study. This means that it’s a doubly good food to eat for your oral health.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are something you usually find on a list of healthy foods. Greens like kale and spinach are also particularly good for your oral health as well. If you aren’t able to consume dairy products, these are also a great source of calcium, keeping the enamel on your teeth strong. The folic acid they contain may also help with gum disease in pregnant women.
Nuts
It doesn’t matter which one is your pick, almost all nuts are great for your oral health. They’re another food that requires a lot of chewing to break down, contributing to your saliva production. They’re also full of vitamins and minerals that help your teeth and the rest of your body. They’re high in protein, as well as omega-3 fatty acids that can help strengthen both your teeth and gum tissue.
Onions
Not only can they add a ton of flavor to your food, but they’re also very effective at neutralizing bacteria in your mouth. These include the common types of bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. Onions can be cooked and added to a ton of meals to make sure that you’re getting some in your diet.
Your Dentist in Towson, Maryland
At Welinsky Dental Care, we’ll make sure that your oral health is on track. We’ll do our part with regular checkups and cleanings and advising you on your diet and home oral health care routine. Call us today or schedule an appointment online!