Nutrition

06 Dec Nutrition

Did you know that there are foods that are good for your teeth? It’s true. There are a host of foods that benefit our mouth health, especially when these foods are backed up by a good quality oral care routine—remember, daily, you should brush at least twice, for two minutes, and floss at least once. Some foods are obviously inherently bad for our oral health, including foods and beverages with high contents of sugar; sticky foods such as sticky candies—i.e. taffy—and hard foods such as hard candy (with the holiday season upon us remember that peanut brittle is both sticky and hard and should be consumed carefully, if at all).

Good Food

Oral health isn’t often considered in the discussion of bodily health. Too often we are concerned with how our bodies handle calories and fats, how our bodies are affected by organic and GMO foods, etc. But the mouth should be included in the discussion. Our mouths benefit from good, healthy nutritious foods as much as the rest of the body. For whole bodily health choose foods that are low-processed—many processed foods contain sugar and salt in overwhelming amounts. That TV dinner of pre-prepared lasagna might cause tooth decay as fast a candy bar—amazing to think, right? Choose fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and other types of foods that are recommended for any healthy diet. Aside from the benefits that the entire body receives from eating whole foods such as grains, vegetables, and fruits, these types of whole foods are high in nutrients that benefit tooth, bone, and skin health.

Alcohol

Alcohol should be consumed in moderation for good mouth health. Obviously, alcohol in moderation is a good idea regardless of oral health, but in particular alcohol can break down the sensitive lining within the mouth. Alcohol is also linked to certain oral cancers.

This holiday season limit your snacking, and, while you’re probably not going to keep a perfectly healthy diet at all times (Tis the season of cookies, candies, and festive feasts— right?) be sure to consume in moderation. Happy Holidays!