Dietary Tips for Better Dental Health

Eating healthy and caring for your teeth and mouth have a considerable impact on your overall health. Eating too much sugar is bad for your teeth, but there are other ways that your diet can affect your dental health.

Dietary Tips for Better Oral Health

Below are some tips on how a healthy diet can lead to a healthy mouth.

• Produce like raw vegetables and crisp fruits, including carrots, celery, and apples, help freshen breath and clean plaque from the teeth.
• Phosphorus is good for building healthy teeth and is found in fish, dairy, nuts, beans, eggs, and lean meat.
• Strawberries contain plenty of malic acid, which is an excellent natural tooth-whitener for enamel and can also help keep your teeth free from future staining.
• Folic acid, which is found in leafy green veggies, promotes a healthy mouth, and supports cell growth throughout your entire body.
• Cheese has multiple health benefits for your body and your mouth. Not only does cheese contain calcium, which builds healthy teeth, but it also helps balance the pH levels in the mouth.
• Antioxidant vitamins like vitamin C will protect the gums and oral tissues from infections and cell damage. It's a good idea to take supplements or eat foods high in vitamin C.

Unfortunately, around 60% of kids don't eat enough fruit, and a staggering 90% aren't getting the recommended amount of vegetables every day. If you don’t feel like your child is eating enough fruits and vegetables, talk to his or her pediatrician about whether supplements would help.

Here at Lockett Orthodontics, we want all of our patients to have healthy diets and beautiful smiles! To make an appointment for an orthodontic evaluation, please call our Briargate orthodontist today!