Healthy Foods To Assist With Good Oral Health

Some everyday foods and drinks that will help to maintain your teeth and gums in tip top shape.

As great believers in holistic dental care in Epsom, we naturally want our patients to take responsibility for the health of their teeth, supported of course, by professional monitoring by one of our friendly dentists.

As a part of this care, we thought it would be useful to take a look at some food and drinks which are actually beneficial for your teeth and gums.

As you would expect, a healthy diet, low in sugars and full of useful nutrition is good, not only for supplying essential minerals such as calcium, but for your overall health too. Whilst avoiding the more esoteric foods sometimes favoured by some, today’s list looks at foods that are widely available and could be useful for your teeth and gums.

Water

Yes, we all drink water, but most of us do not drink enough of it. Staying well hydrated helps to keep the bacteria in our mouths under control. Drinking water will also help to wash away food particles that become stuck between the teeth. Doing this with a high sugar drink simply replaces the food with sticky sugar leaving things no better, and potentially worse, than before – so reserve those for treats or preferably not at all.

Leafy greens

Whilst perhaps not high on a lots of people’s favourite foods, leafy greens are very high in vitamins and minerals. They are also high in calcium which is important to help preserve healthy protective enamel and help protect against decay.

Carrots

These are especially useful for children who often have a sweet tooth. Whilst they may not be big fans of this vegetable when cooked, most kids love the taste of a raw carrot. Not only are they high in vitamin A, but giving a child a few pieces of raw carrot after a meal is a great way of increasing saliva production which will help wash away sugars and some small food pieces which may still remain in their mouth following a meal.

Yoghurt

Although milk also supplies calcium, yogurts have an additional benefit. As well as providing the calcium, many natural yogurts also contain high levels of ‘good’ bacteria which help to balance the potentially harmful bacteria in your mouth. Do make sure to use a sugar free yogurt though!

Cheese

Although you probably shouldn’t eat too much cheese due to its high fat content, it is a great way to finish a meal. Not only can it help to improve saliva flow but also helps to balance the PH in your mouth, making it a less acidic environment. This helps to reduce the risk of decay and enamel erosion.

Just increasing the consumption of these foods can help patients of The Clocktower Dental Practice on the road to healthier teeth and gums. If you do this and look after your teeth and gums with diligent, regular cleaning, there is every chance that your six monthly check up at our Epsom practice will be a successful one, hopefully with no treatment needed!

To register with us, or to make an appointment, please call us on 01372 720136.