The Best Foods For Your Teeth

Vegetables should be a star in your diet because they have many health benefits without being heavy or calorie-dense. Vegetables provide vitamins and minerals and help you produce saliva to clean your mouth and keep enamel healthy.

Leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, or collard greens are full of vitamins and minerals while being low in calories. If you don't go too heavy on the dressings or toppings, you could eat as many leafy greens as you want! Leafy greens are high in calcium, folic acid, and B vitamins, which help your health. You can easily add these leafy greens can to a salad or smoothie.

Instead of grabbing a candy bar or dessert, if you have a sweet tooth, eat an apple instead! Apples provide hydration and fiber for your body. By replacing sugary treats with apples, you're promoting good saliva production. Celery helps clean your teeth because the texture can scrape leftover food particles and bacteria away from your teeth.

Carrots and celery are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Add raw carrots to a salad, or enjoy some baby carrots as a snack.

Unsweetened black and green teas provide plaque-fighting ingredients. Lean proteins like meat, fish, poultry, and tofu have phosphorous and protein to help keep teeth healthy. Almonds are great for your teeth because they are a good source of calcium and protein while being low in sugar.

The ADA recommends limiting snacks between meals. Typical snack foods are high in sugar. Frequent eating of these foods increases the amount of time you expose your teeth to the harmful effects of sugar while decreasing saliva's ability to neutralize tooth-damaging acids. Bacteria uses sugar as a fuel that gets converted into acid. This means that those foods will continue to harm your teeth long after you have finished eating them.

When deciding on a snack, opt for some of the foods mentioned like almonds, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.

Continuously sipping sugary beverages like juice, soda, or wine feeds the bacteria in your mouth. When bacteria feed on the sugar on your teeth, they leave damaging acids behind. This is why experts recommend drinking water and limiting the amount of sugar you consume.

Fluoride plays a vital role in building strong teeth and bones, helping prevent tooth decay. This is why we add fluoride to toothpaste and water. Choosing fluoride toothpaste or eating foods with fluoride helps your teeth absorb this mineral, allowing the fluoride to make your teeth acid-resistant.

Most seafood is a good source of fluoride because oceans are full of natural sodium fluoride. Carrots, beets, canned pork and beans, canned tomato products, and cheeses all have some fluoride. See this list of fluoride-enriched foods on the USDA National Nutrient Database.

Water is a great cleanser. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can help eliminate dry mouth by keeping your mouth moist to prevent the bacteria that lead to cavities, gum disease, or bad breath. Chewing sugar-free gum, especially after a meal, keeps the flow of saliva going and freshen after-dinner breath.

Adding these foods to your diet can make a difference in your oral health. You can also focus on healthy habits such as limiting snacking and limiting sugar in your diet. Ensuring you pack your diet with vegetables, low- or no-sugar-added dairy products, fruits, lean proteins, and plenty of water is an excellent way to prevent tooth decay and promote oral health.

Oral Care Center articles are reviewed by an oral health medical professional. This information is for educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist, physician or other qualified healthcare provider.