The Link Between Diet and Dental Health

The Link Between Diet and Dental Health

Aug 01, 2023

The thinking that your mouth is closely associated with your entire body encouraged the founding of the holistic dentistry philosophy. Your teeth and gums do not rely on their protected microcosm but are positively or adversely impacted by your lifestyle choices and wellness. It indicates that the foods and beverages you enjoy regularly can significantly influence your dental health.

The dental office near you is dedicated to helping patients become informed about the link between nutrition and dental health. They think if they can help you make more strategic food and beverage decisions daily, your dental health benefits tremendously.

How Do Eating Choices Influence Dental Health

Your oral health and diet are interconnected because changes start occurring when food enters your mouth. If you have carbohydrate and sugar-rich foods, they get converted into acids immediately. The acids attack the teeth to trigger decay. Instead, when you swap sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods for healthy foods with nutrient-dense options, you help prevent many dental problems and encourage your teeth and gums to stay healthy as best as possible.

Foods You Should Eliminate

Foods with sugars and carbohydrates are harmful to your teeth and gums. Therefore, you should eliminate foods like soda, juices, candy, cookies, pastries, processed dry foods, and other versions of added sugar that threaten to cause tooth decay and cavities. If your diet consists of the foods mentioned above, your mouth tissues will struggle to resist infection because of nutrient deficiencies. These foods can also accelerate the development of periodontal disease to your entire physical body at risk of infections of different types.

Foods Supporting Your Dental Health

Avoiding sugary foods is essential, but you must also add certain foods to your diet that help strengthen your oral health. Calcium and phosphorus-rich foods besides vitamins C and D are teeth-friendly. Calcium promotes robust teeth and bones, phosphorus is the central component of tooth enamel, and vitamins C and D encourage gum health.

You must incorporate low-fat dairy, dark green leafy vegetables, salmon, citrus fruits, eggs, lean meat, and tomatoes into your weekly eating pattern to nourish your body and mouth. These foods will help improve your teeth health and gums while enhancing your overall health.

Do Not Forget the pH Balance

Many people in good health fail to realize how the foods they consume impact their mouth pH levels. PH measurements range from 0 to 12, with seven considered neutral. Lower numbers are equal to acidity, making orange juice with a pH level of three and black coffee with a pH of five acidic. High pH levels, like baking soda with a pH of nine, indicate less acidity.

The dental office nearby states when your body diverts from the neutral pH level of seven, it causes adverse health issues like arthritis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and cardiovascular disease.

The dentist in Gilbert suggests avoiding acidic foods and embracing an alkaline diet to support your body’s pH balance to protect your oral health. In addition, most acidic foods also have added sugar, making cutting them from your diet beneficial.

Your oral health and diet benefit if you follow your dentist’s instructions by cutting back on processed foods like frozen dinners, cereals, store brought cakes, soda and alcohol, cold-cut meats, pasta, rice, bread, and artificial sugars.

You can substitute the above foods rich in acids with water, unprocessed whole foods, natural sweeteners, plant-based protein, and organic produce that help your dental health actively.

The dentist near you is always willing to answer your questions and support you in adopting a healthier eating plan to ensure your diet complements your oral health instead of harming it. Listening to your dentist’s advice helps prevent multiple oral and overall health complications that soon begin haunting you and send you to different medical professionals seeking treatments for problems unrelated to your teeth and gums.

Besides making proper food choices, the nearby dentist emphasizes twice-daily brushing, once-daily flossing and using mouthwash to eliminate food particles remaining after brushing and flossing. In addition, you must replace your toothbrush every quarter and schedule regular meetings with the dentist for checkups and cleanings. Avoiding tobacco use is also suggested for your overall well-being.

If you want to understand how your diet and dental health are related, you can learn a lot by arranging a meeting with Town Square Dental & Orthodontics to discuss the subject. The dental practice can help you understand how your diet impacts your dental health with information on the foods you can have or must avoid preventing oral and overall health problems.

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