Along with regular brushing and flossing, a healthy diet can help protect your teeth from decay. A well-balanced diet gives you the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy teeth. Sugar is the leading source of tooth decay, according to the World Dental website. Starches such as breads and dried fruits also cause tooth decay if you don't brush your teeth, rinse your mouth or chew sugarless gum after eating.
Fluoride
Adding the mineral fluoride to water can reduce the rate of cavities by as much as 60 percent as published in Oregon State University, Linus Pauling Institute. Fluoride occurs naturally in fluoridated water, tea, grape juice, some fish, including canned sardines with bones and canned chicken.
Snacks
You can protect your teeth by snacking on foods that do not promote cavities and may even help prevent them. For instance, aged cheeses, low fat yogurt, nuts, unsweetened popcorn, celery and carrots help prevent cavities. Apples stimulate your gums, increase the flow of saliva in your mouth and decrease your buildup of cavity-causing bacteria.
Calcium
Your teeth need lots of calcium to stay healthy, as reported in Reader's Digest. Low-fat dairy products, fortified soy and rice beverages, almonds, dark green leafy vegetables, canned salmon or sardines with bones are excellent sources of calcium.
Vitamins A and D
Vitamin A helps build strong teeth. Good sources of beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A, include orange-colored fruits and vegetables such as apricots and tomatoes and dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach.
Your body uses vitamin D to help absorb calcium. Vitamin D is obtained from milk, fortified soy and rice beverages, margarine and fatty fish such as salmon.
Member Comments