What are the Top 5 Foods To Keep Your Teeth Healthy? We often strive to make sound eating choices based on our personal health requirements as well as recommendations by the nutritional experts. Did you know your dental health team also has nutritional recommendations that will help to improve your oral health? We are working hard to take the guess work out of eating to improve the health of your teeth by providing you with a list of the Top 5 Foods for your Oral Health!
- Crunchy Foods
Crunchy foods such as raw carrots and celery help the teeth in two ways. While chewing crunchy foods you will be stimulating your saliva production which helps to essentially wash the teeth of harmful bacteria. Further, the crunchy texture of the food will help remove food debris from the teeth as you are eating. Crunchy foods are a great snack for after lunch – especially handy if you don’t have a toothbrush. Bonus: these snacks are super portable!
- Cheese
Hard cheeses are the perfect snack (in moderation of course) are a great snack! Cheese raises the pH of your saliva as you chew, which lowers your risk of getting cavities. It is also a great source of calcium which helps keep your teeth and bones healthy and strong.
- Leafy Greens
Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale are an excellent source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Leafy greens are easy to add to smoothies and salads. Often, kids won’t even notice if you sneak some into a smoothie!
- Yogurt
Natural yogurt, such as Greek or Skyr (with little to no added sugar) is a great source of protein and calcium as well as being a good source of probiotics. Probiotics not only improve your gut health, but your oral health as well. The good bacteria found in yogurt loves the warm environment of your mouth and helps to crowd out the bad bacteria that causes cavities. Just remember to stick with yogurt with no added sugar as sugar is what the bad bacteria feed on.
- Nuts
Nuts, especially almonds, are another good source of calcium and protein. While generally higher in fat and therefore best enjoyed in moderation, nuts are a great snack that is low in sugar. Kids and adults alike usually love nuts!
As you can see, there are many great food choices you could be making to help improve your oral health and prevent cavities. Most of these options are appealing to children as well as adults and very easy to incorporate into any diet! Stay tuned for our next blog post which will address 5 Foods That Cause Tooth Decay!