If your goal is to maintain healthy teeth and gums, you must be proactive with brushing, flossing, and routine appointments for dental exams and cleanings. But what you put into your body also plays a part in supporting excellent oral health.
Your dentist in Brentwood, TN stresses preventive dentistry, including conscientious oral hygiene and routine dental exams and cleanings. Choosing foods containing tooth-healthy vitamins and nutrients is just another way to ensure a strong, healthy tooth structure and help you avoid cavities and gum disease.
Cut Back on Foods that Don’t Promote Oral Health
There are steps you can take right away to help improve your odds of having a healthy smile. Start by avoiding or eliminating the following types of foods:
- Highly acidic
- Loaded with sugar
- Chewy or sticky
- Starchy
- Hard or crunchy
Everyone deserves to indulge once in a while, so if you do, consume these foods along with your meals. Your mouth is already producing plenty of saliva when you eat, which helps carry away bacteria that leads to tooth decay and gum disease.
5 Vitamins and Minerals Your Teeth Love
Here are just a few of the vitamins and minerals that your diet should include. They all help maintain a strong tooth structure, minimize bacteria, and support a healthy immune system, all of which reduce your risk of gum disease.
- Calcium
- Antioxidants
- Omega-3
- Vitamins A, B, C, D
- Iron
Maintaining oral health doesn’t mean you have to limit your diet, either. There are tons of delicious foods that contain the nutrients listed above. Here are just a few:
- Leafy greens
- Crisp fruits and veggies
- Dairy products
- Whole grains
- Meat and soy products
There are a lot that of things you can do to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Eating a nutritious diet, brushing and flossing, and staying current with routine preventive checkups with your dentist in Brentwood, TN all help support a healthy, problem-free smile.
