Foods that are good for teeth and not so good: eat right

The strength of teeth and the aesthetics of a smile are one of the key indicators indicating a person’s health and lifestyle. Today, a beautiful smile is an integral attribute of a person’s attractiveness, part of his successful image. It attracts the attention of others, forms the first impression of the interlocutor and gives positive emotions.

Thanks to proper nutrition, teeth should receive all the necessary micro and macroelements for healthy growth, improved aesthetics and support of basic function. This does not mean that you need to eat only the best expensive food - it is important to provide a balanced diet that allows your teeth to receive all the necessary nutrients.

Useful products containing micro- and macroelements

Thanks to a well-formulated diet, teeth receive from food the elements necessary for aesthetics and health. To try to balance your diet yourself, it is important to understand which elements are most suitable for maintaining the basic functions of a person's teeth.

It is not at all necessary to eat only high-quality food purchased in expensive stores. It is enough to properly balance the diet so that the dental tissues receive everything they need.

The daily diet requires the presence of necessary vitamins, micro- and macroelements, without which dental health will be undermined. Experts advise following the daily norm, which will allow you to keep your teeth healthy and seek help from dentists less often.

Calcium

An element that everyone knows about. It is considered the main component of dental tissue. Lack of it in the diet leads to rapid tooth decay. The absence or insufficient amount of calcium in food leads to the destruction of enamel, a decrease in the resistance of teeth to various influences, and leads to the formation of caries and gum pathologies.

To get the necessary element, it is recommended to consume the following products:

• legumes (beans, beans);
• eggs;
• hard cheeses;
• almond;
• sesame;
• raisin;
• black bread;
• dairy products (cottage cheese, milk, cheese curd);
• White cabbage.

For adults, the daily norm is 800 g per day. Children and pregnant women need larger dosages. Their daily norm exceeds 1200–1800 g of calcium.

Phosphorus

This microelement is a connecting link with which it is possible to correctly distribute calcium particles obtained from food. Strengthens enamel and hard tooth tissues. Natural phosphorus is found in large quantities in potatoes, legumes, cheese, poultry, beef, fish, buckwheat, rice and eggs.

The daily intake of phosphorus for an adult is 1500–1800 g.

Fluorine

Foods that are good for teeth should include sea fish, pork, buckwheat, walnuts and poultry. They contain a large amount of natural fluoride, which protects teeth from negative external influences.

Lack of fluoride leads to the formation of caries and periodontal disease.

Every day a person should receive at least 7–10 g of fluoride from healthy foods. If this is not ensured, pathogenic microorganisms that enter with food, air and drink destroy our teeth.

Iron

An important element in the body's hematopoietic system is iron. It is obtained from peas, mushrooms, spinach, apples, walnuts, beef liver or seaweed. It ensures normal blood supply to the gums and nearby tissues around the tooth. A lack of iron quickly leads to gum damage - periodontal disease.

The daily dose of the element ranges from 10 to 18 g. In the absence of the element entering the body, pathologies develop in a short time and quickly affect the gums.

Microelement	Products containing
Calcium	Milk, cottage cheese, eggshells, beans, beans, sesame seeds, almonds, white cabbage, black bread.
Phosphorus	Potatoes, legumes, cheese, poultry, eggs, beef, fish, buckwheat, rice.
Fluorine	Pork, walnuts, poultry, sea fish.
Iron	Peas, egg yolk, spinach, apples, walnuts, beef liver, mushrooms, seaweed.

Knowing which foods contain useful microelements, you can create a competent diet to get everything you need for healthy teeth.

What to eat to prevent caries?

Not only limited consumption of foods that are harmful to dental health helps reduce the risk of developing caries, but also, on the contrary, the introduction of foods that are rich in beneficial microelements into the diet. Fluoride, calcium and phosphorus play a vital role in caries prevention.

Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, prevents the proliferation of pathogenic microflora, and in childhood plays a decisive role in the proper formation of teeth. Food sources of fluoride are black and green tea, mineral water, garlic, fish, walnuts, parsley, and seafood.

Calcium is the main building material of teeth; it strengthens and restores tooth enamel, protects it from the destructive effects of acid produced by bacteria. If you want to have healthy teeth without caries, your diet should include dairy products, eggs, herbs, nuts, and green vegetables. Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium. Therefore, along with calcium-containing foods, the diet should include foods containing this vitamin: fish oil, egg yolk, cod liver, tuna, butter.

Phosphorus promotes normal tooth growth and maintains healthy enamel. Buckwheat, fish, oatmeal, beans, and red meat are rich in phosphorus.

Top 8 healthy foods for teeth

A properly selected diet is the key to excellent health. This also applies to teeth. Products for teeth are a fairly extensive list. They contain important components that are involved in the formation of teeth and their strength, despite external influences.

There are a number of foods that are extremely harmful to teeth. Not everyone knows about their destructive effects.

From the point of view of doctors, healthy foods are a list of foods that:

1. Strengthens the maxillofacial bones.
2. It has a disinfecting effect and inhibits microflora inside the oral cavity.
3. It has a massage effect on the gums and improves blood flow in them.
4. Prevents the formation of tartar, removing even small plaque.

If the selected product meets one or more criteria, it is considered beneficial for the oral cavity.

You don’t have to worry about dental health if a person’s food is rich in microelements and vitamins. They ensure normal blood supply and protect the enamel from external influences of harmful substances and pathogenic microorganisms.

To avoid caries and diseases of the jaw system, it is important to regularly eat the following foods:

1. Buckwheat and millet. They are responsible for the calcium content and its easy absorption in the body.
2. Nuts and seaweed. They contain a large amount of iron, which helps absorb calcium and distribute it in sufficient quantities throughout the body.
3. Wheat bran and pumpkin seeds. They contain a large amount of vitamins and microelements and help strengthen local immunity.
4. Vegetables. Fresh vegetables and fruits are full of useful components, which must be supplied to the body in sufficient quantities.
5. Dairy products. They are a carrier of calcium, without which dental health is impossible.
6. Sea fish. A storehouse of vitamins and microelements, without which it is not possible to keep teeth healthy.
7. Poultry and pork. They contain healthy fats and vitamins and strengthen teeth.
8. Legumes. You can’t refuse to eat beans, beans or peas; they are rich in multivitamins that strengthen tooth enamel.

Products for strengthening teeth are varied and useful. Creating a delicious and satisfying menu will not be a problem.

Products that are harmful

What is good for your teeth is good for your entire body. Poor nutrition causes physical and psychological problems. Oral diseases lead to a decrease in overall immunity. And with pain or active inflammation, it will be difficult to eat and communicate.

So, harmful foods for teeth are:

1. Sweets. This includes chocolate, cakes, cookies, candies. The sugar contained in these products settles on the enamel and subsequently destroys it. Also, crowns and fillings placed on teeth wear out faster. The worst are those sweets that are difficult to clean out of the mouth, like candy or caramel. Small pieces of caramel get stuck between teeth. This is significantly worse than, for example, chocolate, which easily washes out when brushing or rinsing.
2. Soft drinks. Store-bought soda and iced tea contain equal amounts of harmful sugars, which erode tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. It is better to give up such drinks and switch to water or unsweetened loose leaf tea. If it is difficult to give up carbonated sweet drinks, then after each use you should rinse your mouth with warm water.
3. Hard and starchy foods. These are crackers, chips, popcorn, nuts and dried fruits. They not only get stuck between the teeth, but also scratch the enamel and gums. Scratches turn into small cracks. Food will get stuck there, which will lead to inflammatory processes.
4. Sour. Citrus fruits and juices from them, lemon and berries - all this harms teeth. High acid content is harmful to oral health. It is worth limiting the consumption of foods with high acidity. It is advisable to drink juices through a straw - contact with the enamel will be significantly reduced, along with the risk of undesirable consequences.
5. Coloring products. Black currants and chokeberries strongly stain tooth enamel. But these berries also contain vitamins that are good for teeth. So you can eat them, but you shouldn’t overuse them. The second product is coffee. It is not only capable of staining the enamel dark, but also leaching calcium from the enamel. Therefore, it is better to reduce coffee to 1 cup per day or, if possible, completely abandon it. Professional teeth whitening will give longer lasting results if you follow a “white” diet.

Top 8 healthy foods for gums

Bleeding, weak and pathologically altered gums will not be able to support healthy teeth. That is why, first of all, you should select useful substances for healthy gums, and then strengthen your teeth.

In numerous illustrations showing healthy foods for teeth in pictures , you can see what foods should be included in the diet to maintain healthy gums:

• Pumpkin, carrots, and apples, due to their structure and chemical composition, ideally keep gums in order.
• Dairy products strengthen the circulatory system.
• Leafy vegetables contain a large amount of vitamins.
• Sea fish is full of multivitamins and healthy fats.
• Garden and forest berries are a real chest of vitamins.

Eating these foods daily will lead to healthy teeth. They are oversaturated with vitamin complexes and other useful components, adjust metabolic processes in tissues and clean teeth from plaque. As a result, the gums become strong and the teeth become healthy.

Products good for teeth and enamel

Fruits and berries saturate the body with vitamins that play an important role in metabolism. Strawberries, pineapples and citrus fruits additionally help whiten enamel.

However, after eating citrus fruits, you should rinse your mouth with water. This is necessary to neutralize organic acids that weaken the pellicle (protective film) on the enamel.

There is no need to teach children to chew crackers, much less seeds and nuts in shells. The benefits from such consumption of products will be less than the harm to the enamel, which becomes covered with microcracks over time.

Top 8 harmful foods

Lists of healthy food ingredients have been studied for a long time and represent a wide range. But there are also components harmful to teeth that quickly destroy enamel and contribute to the loss of healthy teeth due to weak gums.

These products primarily include:

1. Sugar and sweets, except honey. They disrupt the acid-base balance in the mouth, contribute to pathological processes and quickly destroy enamel.
2. Caffeine. The beneficial components are washed out and the body becomes dehydrated.
3. Roasted seeds are not beneficial when brushing your teeth. They mechanically damage the enamel.
4. Pieces of dried fruit , if you do not brush your teeth immediately after eating, get stuck in the space between the teeth and disrupt the acidity.
5. Sugary drinks provoke inflammatory processes.
6. Temperature changes and eating hot and cold food at the same time lead to rapid deterioration of teeth.

Food that is too hard and too soft will not be beneficial. They help reduce the strength of enamel and gums. This greatly impacts your overall oral health.

Products good for teeth and gums

Healthy and harmful foods for a child’s teeth often coexist in his daily menu. Helps flush calcium salts out of the body:

• sweets;
• carbonated drinks;
• coffee.

The consumption of these products in childhood should be limited.

Preference should be given to black tea, preferably unsweetened. It contains catechins, which block the excessive growth of pathogenic microflora in the mouth.

Dark chocolate without additives also has protective and anti-inflammatory properties.

Beekeeping products - honey, propolis, beebread, honeycomb - have a pronounced disinfecting effect. By destroying pathogens, they protect tooth enamel from destruction and prevent gum inflammation.

Mechanical cleaning of enamel and gums from plaque during meals is of great importance. In order to clean your teeth and give your gums a good massage to improve blood supply, you need to regularly give your children solid food:

• raw carrots, which are also a source of provitamin A;
• fresh and pickled cabbage;
• beets;
• pumpkin;
• turnip;
• radish;
• apples.

Adviсe

Experts note that the effects of even the most harmful substances and products can be neutralized. It is enough just to follow the general recommendations for dental care. For example, carry out hygienic brushing or rinsing after every meal, brush your teeth twice a day according to the rules outlined by dentists, and do not forget about visiting a professional office, even if nothing hurts.

A well-planned diet and timely prevention of oral problems will help keep your teeth healthy and beautiful. As for products for children, the list is practically unchanged. It is important to observe the quantitative composition and take vitamins if they are lacking in the food the child receives. Preventive examinations are also necessary every six months to prevent problems in time.

Other caries prevention measures

A healthy and balanced diet is of great importance in preventing the development of dental caries. However, you should not expect that giving up some foods and eating others can completely get rid of dental caries. An integrated approach is important in the fight against cariogenic bacteria and the prevention of caries. After adjusting your diet, also pay attention to the following points:

• Brush your teeth regularly with a properly selected brush and paste, use floss, dental floss or irrigators to remove food debris from hard-to-reach areas and interdental spaces.
• Visit your dentist twice a year for preventative purposes, even if you have no symptoms of caries and no signs of oral discomfort.
• When caries appears, treat it at an early stage, without delaying the process to a deep stage or pulpitis.
• Regularly visit a hygienist for professional teeth cleaning - special equipment will help remove complex plaque from the surface of the teeth, which is difficult to remove with manual brushing.

Compliance with these simple preventive measures plus nutritional correction towards a healthy and balanced diet will allow you to maintain healthy teeth for a long time and prevent the development of caries.