The foods you eat have a direct effect on your oral health. According to the American Dental Association, you should consume a variety of nutritious foods to keep your teeth, mouth, and gums healthy.
Good choices include
- Cheese, milk, soy products, and yogurt because they contain calcium, which helps build strong teeth and bones
- Eggs, flounder, fortified cereal, fortified milk, salmon, and tuna because they contain Vitamin D, which helps your body better absorb calcium
- Eggs and meats like chicken and fish because they contain phosphorus, which is needed to rebuild tooth enamel after the acids in food and sugary drinks eat it away
- Non-citrus fruits and vegetables because they provide additional vitamins and minerals needed to rebuild, instead of eat away at, tooth enamel
Things to avoid or consume sparingly
- Sugar in all its forms
- No-sugar added foods (because they may contain sugar, just no added sugar) and sugarless or sugar-free foods that contain honey, fructose, or molasses
- Acidic food eaten alone instead of with a meal (because saliva is needed to rinse plaque off teeth and it is most plentiful during a meal)
- Soft drinks
- Cakes, candy, chips, cookies, dried fruit, pastries, pies, sugary drinks, and empty carbohydrates (white bread, muffins, Danish, etc.)