Show Your Teeth Some Love

Do you love your teeth? Are you always looking for ways to brighten your smile? If you care about your oral health, you may want to consider eating foods that actually help your teeth. Come on, your teeth are yours to keep for a lifetime, isn’t it time to show your teeth some love? There are certain foods that your teeth would love for you to include in your daily diet and others that they wish you would just stop eating all together.

Your teeth want you to have a love affair with fiber rich fruits and vegetables. Foods like apples, raspberries, strawberries, pears, bananas, oranges, artichokes, spinach, broccoli, raw carrots, turnip greens, brussel sprouts, sweet corn and potatoes are all rich in fiber. Eating foods like these provides several advantages for your teeth. Fiber rich foods act as a detergent in your mouth to clean and protect your teeth and fiber rich foods increase your mouths production of saliva. Saliva is vital to the health of your teeth; it’s your body’s first defense against tooth decay and gum disease. Saliva fights bacteria and plaque and distributes important minerals like calcium and phosphate to your teeth and gums.

Dairy products like cheese, milk and plain yogurt contain calcium and phosphates that are good for your teeth. Cheese is a saliva stimulator and since our teeth are constantly being attacked by acids and bacteria; the more saliva the better. Saliva neutralizes harmful acids and enzymes that cause tooth decay.

Black tea and green tea contains polyphenols which suppress and kill plaque bacteria on your teeth. These polyphenols prevent harmful acids from being produced by the bacteria in your mouth. Foods that contain fluoride are always welcomed by your teeth and gums. Low-sugar powdered juices, dehydrated soups, powdered cereals, seafood and processed chicken all contain teeth loving fluoride.

Dark chocolate (that is not packed with sugar) has anti-inflammatory agents and antibacterial properties that have been proven to be good for teeth and gums. If you are looking for more ways to love your teeth, stop and think about eating foods that will help not harm your pearly whites.