Home

Connection between Diet and Dental Health

Tooth decay is the process of dissolution of tooth enamel leading to the exposure of inner layers of teeth to infectious bacteria. Worsened tooth decay is known as cavity which is characterized with the infection reaching pulp of the tooth.

The major reason for tooth decay is the consumption of foods which are laden with sugars. But sugar doesn’t directly result in the tooth decay; it’s the acid which is released by the bacteria after they consume those sugars. Intrinsic acids can also result in the tooth erosion. Those acids come from the stomach as a result of vomit, regurgitation, or acid reflux which is also known as Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

If you brush your teeth with too much of force, you might actually be doing more harm than good to your teeth. Moreover, brushing your teeth after consuming an acidic food or beverage is also another risk factor.

Now, we are going to talk about the foods that can actually be helpful in preventing tooth decay.

Cheese

Cheese can help in the prevention of increased acidity after consumption of a sugary snack. Cheese stimulates the production of saliva which neutralizes acidity in the mouth. Moreover, it is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, and casein. All of these nutrients can help stop tooth decay.

Plant foods

Plant foods are basically the fibrous foods that contribute in the stimulation of saliva production, which is something you need in the fight against tooth decay.

Black and green tea

Black and green teas contain polyphenols and flavonoids, which are the antioxidants that can be very helpful in preventing tooth decay. Furthermore, black tea contains fluoride which helps in the strengthening of tooth enamel.

Chocolate

We are not talking about the milk chocolate that can purchase from a confectionary shop. The chocolate that can be helpful for your teeth is a more unrefined one that doesn’t contain any sugars. The anti-decay potential of this unrefined chocolate is due to the polyphenolic compounds present in it.

Some recommendations for good oral health

Eat healthy diet and get plenty of exercise.
Avoid eating sugary snacks between the meals.
If you have to consume sugars, choose natural sources, i.e. fresh fruits.
Make sure that you are not consuming more than 6 tablespoons of sugars in a day.
You need to avoid consuming soda and sports drinks if you want to avoid tooth decay.
Avoid eating anything for an hour before going to bed. More specifically, you need to avoid eating foods which are rich in processed sugars.

Tips To Naturally Whiten Your Teeth At Home

According to an estimate, Americans spend more than $11 billion on teeth whitening. It also includes $1.4 billion which is spent on at-home teeth whitening products.

It means that there are plenty of products that you can choose from. But what’s more common among all those products is the possession of several chemicals in their compositions. While it may not necessarily be a negative thing, certain people do not react well the chemicals.

If you want to whiten your teeth but you also want to prevent getting any kind of irritation started in your oral cavity, you can go for the more organic options that can effectively whiten your teeth. Although those organic products may not be very quick in showing results, they surely tend to make a difference over a not-very-longer period of time.

Oil pulling

Scientists and other dental experts give quite conservative remarks about the ability of oil pulling practice to give whiter teeth. They are right in this approach because there is no extensive research result available suggesting oil pulling as a teeth whitening practice. But the matter of fact is that it has indeed worked quite well over a long period of time. This practice involves swishing of oil, usually coconut oil, in the mouth for more than 10 minutes. Coconut oil has some antibacterial properties that also work for the dislodging of tartar from the surface of teeth. This cleaning + whitening combo can give more satisfactory results.

Brushing teeth with baking soda

Baking soda has a well-known ability to clean and whiten the teeth. This is the reason that it is a part of many of the commercial toothpaste products available in the markets across the world.

The main characteristic that makes baking soda more of a teeth whitener is its abrasion that works well to create an alkaline environment in the mouth. This environment can be pivotal in putting a hold on the growth of oral bacteria.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is the bleaching agent which is added in most of the products that whiten teeth. Another benefit of this agent is that it kills bacteria.

If you are not quite vulnerable against the abrasion going around in your mouth, you can safely use a limited amount of hydrogen peroxide for the purpose of whitening your teeth.

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a more conventional type of product which is used for the disinfection especially in the oral cavity. This product has acetic acid which is quite useful in controlling the production bacteria that can result in tooth decay. This product also softens the hard bacterial layer on the teeth. This softening is the major prerequisite of teeth cleaning and whitening.

Good oral hygiene

Last but not the least; good oral hygiene is important from a lot of perspective. Brushing and flossing are the necessary practices that you need to stick with if you want to maintain good health of your teeth. It is basically the preventative dental care that focuses on not letting the teeth get stained at first place.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse