What Are The Best Foods To Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Water, dairy, fresh crunchy vegetables like apples,
carrots, celery, cucumbers, and capsicum, leafy greens,
nuts, seeds, oily fish, tea, and most types of meat are not
only delicious, but are also vital for healthy teeth and
great oral health. Some of these feed your teeth, others
improve your overall health, while others clean your teeth,
give you fresh breath, provide good acids, and neutralise
the bad bacteria and acids that are in your mouth, and
reduce inflammation.

So, what are the best foods you
need to eat to keep your teeth healthy and why?

1.
Dairy

Because… Milk, cheese, and yoghurt are
packed with essential nutrients and proteins, they are some
of the best foods for healthy teeth.

• Milk
  – calcium and phosphorus which help remineralise your
  teeth and neutralise citric and malic acids in your mouth
  which cause tooth decay.
• Yoghurt –
  probiotics, calcium and phosphorus. Probiotics promote the
  good bacteria in your mouth, and your gut. It’s great for
  heartburn as well. Unsweetened and unflavoured milk and
  yoghurt is best as anything else is laden with
  sugar.
• Hard Cheeses – casein, which helps
  to repair enamel and strengthen teeth, stimulates saliva
  which is necessary as it washes away bad bacteria and bad
  acids while also supplying good acids.

2. Fatty
fish & lean proteins

Because… Rich
quantities of Vitamin D and phosphorus, which are vital for
building both strong enamel and bones and reducing
inflammation, can be found in eggs, chicken, salmon, tofu,
trout, and tuna.

3. Fluoridated
Water

Because… It washes away any remaining
food particles, acids, and bad bacteria that accumulate in
your mouth during the day and keeps dehydration away.
Fluoride integrates with your teeth and makes them
stronger.

4. Green, leafy
vegetables

Because… Rich amounts
of calcium, folic acid, vitamins and minerals are packed
into leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and lettuce. All of
which are the first line of defence against cavities, poor
oral health and overall health.

5. Nuts
and seeds

Because… Essential minerals like
calcium and phosphorus are also found in some nuts and seeds
such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, and sesame seeds. They
help protect and remineralise enamel.

6. Raw,
crunchy, fresh, fruit and
vegetables

Because… Very necessary
antioxidants, vitamin C, and fibre can be found in raw,
crunchy fruit vegetables like apples, carrots, celery,
cucumbers, and bell peppers and provide the same advantages
as hard cheeses – that of stimulating saliva cleaning your
teeth of plaque and freshening your breath at the same time.
Soft fruits, like berries, Strawberries, oranges, kiwis, and
pineapples aid with collagen production, but as they are
higher in sugar and acid, eat them only with meals and in
small quantities.

7. Green and Herbal
Teas

Because… Polyphenols are found in
unsweetened green and herbal teas are great for reducing the
bad bacteria in your mouth.

If this list seems like
other healthy diet lists, that’s because it is.
Why?

Because… Your overall health plays a
large part in your oral health.

This article first
appeared online at: https://www.team-dental.co.nz/dental-news/what-are-the-best-foods-to-keep-your-teeth-healthy/

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