Eating well is always a good thing, but people don’t always realize how many facets of their health it benefits. At Accent Smile Center, we’re here to answer a crucial question: What role does diet play in maintaining dental health?
The Sugary Situation
We need to start by talking about the most dangerous culprit: Sugar. Our team of dentists, Dr. Gatgens, Dr. Densmore, or Dr. Noble, want you to know exactly how it affects your teeth.
It comes down to how sugar interacts with acids and bacteria in your mouth. Bacteria feed on sugar, breaking it down into acid and causing most of the damage to your teeth. Here are some of the common conditions that come with too much sugar consumption:
- Cavities: These are holes in your teeth that form when acid breaks through the enamel. If left untreated, cavities can burrow deeper into your tooth layers, causing more pain as they approach the nerve. It’s crucial to get a filling promptly if you’re experiencing persistent pain from a cavity to prevent it from worsening.
- Gum Disease: Sugary foods can contribute to gum disease. The same acids that cause cavities can irritate your gums, leading to gingivitis. This condition needs prompt attention from your orthodontist to prevent it from becoming more serious. We use laser therapy at Accent Smile Center for severe cases.
- Plaque Formation: Plaque is a layer of bacteria and debris that forms on your teeth’s surface. While you typically brush it away daily, it can build up if not removed regularly, leading to decay and potentially gum disease.
For this reason, it’s extremely important to limit your sugar intake, regardless of your age.
Other Aspects of Dietary Health
So, how do other foods impact our oral health? Some foods naturally help to strengthen your teeth and gums and clean your mouth more effectively. Here are some of the ways your diet can impact your dental health:
- Strengthening Teeth: Consuming a diet rich in calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D is critical for strong teeth. Great sources of these nutrients include dairy products, leafy greens, nuts, and fish.
- Gum Health: Vitamin C is super important for healthy gums. Eating fruits like strawberries and vegetables like bell peppers actively helps prevent gum disease by supporting collagen production and reducing inflammation.
- Saliva Production: Drinking plenty of water, especially fluoridated water, allows you to maintain a healthy level of saliva. This is crucial for neutralizing acids, washing away food, and providing minerals to repair enamel as needed.
- Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables: Crunchy fruits and veggies like apples, carrots, and celery can help clean teeth as you eat them. Their texture stimulates saliva production, which washes away food particles and neutralizes acids.
- Limiting Exposure: Be aware that frequent snacking, especially on sugary or starchy foods, increases the time your teeth are exposed to acids. Limiting your snack intake can reduce the risk of cavities.
- Overall Health: As we said, a healthy, balanced diet supports overall health, as well as dental health. Poor nutrition can weaken your immune system, making it harder for your body to fight off infections—including those in the mouth.
- Staining and Discoloration: Some foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, red wine, and berries, can stain your teeth over time. These items contain chromogens, which are compounds that can attach to the enamel and result in discoloration. Acidic foods and drinks can also erode enamel, making teeth even more prone to staining. It’s important to clean your teeth effectively when consuming these foods and drinks.
- Bone Health: Your jawbone supports your teeth, and consuming a diet lacking in calcium and vitamin D can lead to bone loss, which then increases the risk of tooth loss. This can be countered by foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, and certain plant-based milks, which are excellent sources of these nutrients.
- Probiotics and Oral Health: Research suggests that probiotics, found in foods like yogurt, fermented foods, and beverages like kombucha, can contribute to oral health by balancing the oral microbiome and that of the gut. A healthy balance of bacteria in the mouth can help with issues like cavities, gum disease, and bad breath.
- Oral Cancer Risk: A diet high in processed meats and low in fruits and vegetables has been linked to an increased risk of oral cancers. It’s important to eat antioxidant-rich foods, such as colorful fruits and vegetables, which can help protect cells from damage and reduce cancer risk. Our office offers oral cancer screenings for our patients.
Choosing Your Health First
Diet can be a difficult aspect of health to adjust for many patients. Accent Smile Center is here to help guide you in the right direction. It could also be helpful to consult with a dietician or other specialist if other significant changes need to be made. Our Dickson and Belle Meade teams are looking forward to meeting you, and helping address all aspects of your oral health!