So many dental health problems come down to poor home care. In fact, diet is a major deciding factor when it comes to the health of your teeth. By making a few mouth-healthy changes to your diet, you can reduce or even prevent a host of tooth problems, and ensure a lifelong strong and healthy smile.

Avoid Sugary Foods

Of course, minimizing your dessert and candy intake is classic dental advice. Soda is another thing that dentists discourage. Decay-causing bacteria feed on sugar, so minimizing sugar in your diet (and cleaning sugars away with brushing or lots of water) is an important step to maintaining dental health. What you may not realize is that even supposedly “healthy” foods can be almost as harmful as candy. Many vegetables and even more fruits contain a lot of sugar.

Clean Your Teeth with Crunch

So sugary fruits are bad for your teeth. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables with crunchy textures, such as celery, carrots, and apples, are actually good for you. Sugars aside, the texture of these foods helps to scrape teeth clean of food residue between meals.

Leafy Greens are Natural Multivitamins

Vitamins and minerals are an important part of maintaining your overall health, and your teeth are no different. Calcium builds strong teeth and enamel, and vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. Leafy greens are a great source of all these nutrients. They are also a notable source of folic acid, which helps prevent tooth decay.

Eat Cheese and Cultured Dairy

Dairy foods that have been made with cultures, such as cheese, yogurt, and sour cream, are probiotics. This means that they help good bacteria grow. These good bacteria can help push out the bad decay-causing bacteria in your mouth and slow tooth decay. The sharp flavor of cheese also makes you salivate. Saliva washes your mouth clean of food residue and leftover sugars for when you can’t get to a toothbrush in the middle of the day.

Schedule a Consultation

Do you have questions about how to keep your teeth healthy between appointments, even with a hard-to-clean orthodontic device? Villanova Dental Studio is happy to answer all your dental health questions. To contact us or schedule a consultation, contact our Stittsville, Ontario dentist office or at (613) 655-9966.