Last updated on September 7th, 2018 at 09:46 am
When you have healthier teeth and gum, they inspire you to wear a big smile on your face, and a good nice smile can do wonders. It may enhance your look, personality and create a positive vibe. Apart from helping you smile, healthy gums protect your teeth and also fight against bacteria every day. Healthy teeth help you chew and eat your food properly. Needless to say, healthy teeth and gums are more than essential for a healthy you. And if you are wondering about how to maintain healthy teeth and gums then here’s the post worth reading. Today in this post, I am going to share the list of 9 wonderful foods that will help you to maintain healthy teeth and gums, easily.
The foods that we eat have a very crucial role for our health, including oral health. Probably that’s the reason, why many people avoid eating chocolate and other sweets. There are bacteria in your mouth that converts the sugars and carbohydrates into acids, these acids can then harm the enamel, and that may lead to the tooth decay and toothache.
There are many foods which may harm your gums and teeth, but at the same time there are some wonderful foods which may help you get healthy teeth and gums. There are many foods including carrots, apples and cheese which are considered to be the best to get healthy teeth and gums. And today, I am sharing with you the list of 9 such superfoods which can help you to maintain healthy teeth, gum and overall oral health.
Best Foods to Get Healthy Teeth and Gums
Certain foods are good for your teeth, but the first thing that will come in respect to this is that you must brush your teeth twice daily. Each and every tooth paste will have it written on them that they provide 12 hour protection. But, there are some healthy and tasty foods which will help you to take proper oral care.
Cheese
In 2014, the article published in American Academy of General Dentistry shows that the cheese helps in increasing the pH levels of the mouth tremendously, thus nullifying the acid formation. Cheese neutralizes the plaque acid and teeth is protected. Cheese also increases the saliva formation in the mouth which can wash away some of the bacteria. Cheese also contains calcium and protein that can strengthen the tooth enamel.
Leafy greens
Leafy green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage contain calcium, vitamin B, folic acid which helps in taking care of your gum problems. The nutrients in these natural foods can increase the immunity of the gums, and thus the minor oral infections can be avoided. Deficiency of vitamins often cause some boils in your gums, which are painful and highly irritating. You can include these foods in your daily diet, adding spinach in curries, kale in pizza, or even smoothies can add value to your diet.
Yogurt
Yogurt contains probiotic bacteria which is the good bacteria. The bad oral bacteria that often attack your mouth are ousted by the good bacteria found in the yogurt. Yogurt or curd is made from milk, and milk is then fermented. Yogurt contains calcium and protein and also minerals. The bad bacteria can also cause cavities and yogurt helps in destroying these cavity causing bacteria.
Apple
Apple is considered to be the nature’s toothbrush. American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that for proper oral care, avoiding sweets is necessary, but there are some fruits like apples which are highly beneficial and may help in maintaining good oral health. Apples contain natural sugar and water which produces high quantity of saliva in your mouth. The saliva washes off the bad bacteria and also the food particles that may have stuck in your mouth. Chewing apples can function as a scrubber too. Pack slices of apple to eat after meal, apples are good scrubbers for your teeth. It will also make your mouth fresh.
Carrots
Just like the apples, the carrots are rich in vitamin C, fiber, and minerals that are good for your gum health, teeth and also the eyes. Carrots are little hard and you have to put pressure on your teeth, and thus you can do some teeth exercise. You can add carrots in your salads, having it raw is the best for you. This way you can retain all the nutritional value of the vegetable.
Almonds
Almonds are hard nuts, hard as in not that hard that you cannot chew it. Almonds are tasty and delicious, with vitamins A and C, minerals, calcium, protein, fiber, polyphenols etc. Almonds are great for your teeth because they are low in sugar. Even though they are low in sugar, they are too delicious. So, you will have no problem in eating them. Chewing the almonds can also maintain the pH factor of your mouth, and avoid acid formation.
Onions
You may often feel the need to ditch the onions because they have a strong pungent odor. Before you say YUCK, let me just add the health benefits of onions. Onions have antibacterial sulfur compounds which can prevent the formation of any bacteria in your mouth. It can also cure any infection of your mouth or gum. If you have cavity, then onions can help preventing the growth and formation of cavity. And hence, eating fresh raw uncooked onions can surprisingly help you to get healthy gum and teeth.
Green tea
Both green and black tea contains polyphenols which can prevent the gum disorders and the growth of cavities. You can also get rid of the bad breath by drinking tea. Green tea is better because they have catechins which help in reducing and preventing the plaque formation in your mouth. Apart from helping you maintain healthy teeth and gums, there are many other health benefits of drinking green tea, but avoid adding processed sugar to it.
Water
Water helps to keep your mouth and gum hydrated and also stimulates saliva formation. Water helps in getting rid of the stuck food particles in your mouth. It also kills and washes away the bacteria of the mouth. Saliva is the best defense against the disease causing bacteria, and drinking water will help you to do so.
Tips to maintain healthy teeth and gums
- Brush your teeth twice a day.
- Use lukewarm water to wash your mouth.
- Wash your mouth properly after eating foods, snacks, fruits or anything else.
- Wash your hands before eating, as germs and bacteria from your hand can enter your mouth and may lead to infections.
- Do not use too soft or too hard brush. The brush can be of medium strength.
- Always use toothpaste to brush your teeth, using brush without paste may harm the enamel.
- You can use mouth fresheners for cleaning your mouth quickly.
- Eat the fruits raw, as raw fruits are the best for your teeth.
- Drink a glass of milk daily, as milk has the highest percentage of calcium, which helps in strengthening teeth and bones.
- If you see there is formation of cavity in your teeth, then visit your dentist soon. If the cavity increases then it can be too painful and hard to deal with.
Over to you
Teeth decay, cavities and weaker teeth is becoming too common. The food we eat and the way we eat them can have both positive and negative effects on your oral health. Today we have discussed about some of the best foods for healthy teeth and gums and also talked about what else to do to get it right.
The foods mentioned above are all natural resources and they have very high nutritional value. Include these foods in your daily diet and you can have stronger teeth and gums easily.
How do you maintain your oral health? What do you do to ensure your teeth and gums get stronger? Feel free to share your tricks and techniques.
And finally, if you liked this post, please share and spread the word.
