Best food for healthy teeth

When it comes to looking after your teeth, eating the right foods is as important as brushing, flossing and visiting the dentist regularly. Every piece of food that passes your lips sets off a chemical reaction in your mouth which, depending on the quality of your diet, has an effect on the health, strength and appearance of your teeth.

 

Foods with high sugar content are, of course, the most common triggers of tooth decay. “Anything sugary has an effect on your teeth,” says dental professional Dr. Omar Qureshi. “When sugar goes into your mouth, it reacts with bacteria to form acid, and if you are repeatedly feeding on sugar, then your mouth never gets the chance to recover. This is what causes decay.”

 

Sugary snacks and drinks should be reserved for special treats, but keeping your teeth in top condition is not simply a case of eating a healthy, balanced diet. Dr. Qureshi says drinking six cups of tea or coffee with an added spoonful or sugar can mean your teeth are “under constant attack.”

 

You should also be aware of the deceptively, not to mention unnecessarily high  levels of sugar found in some popular brand foods such as breakfast cereals and even bread, although these have less of an impact on your teeth. “Hidden sugars are something to take into consideration, but in foods such as bread they are broken down much more quickly so are not so much of a problem,” Dr. Qureshi adds. Nevertheless, you should always check the labels on foods and go for varieties that don’t contain too much sugar.

 

There are some more surprising foods on the danger list — smoothies and juices, for instance. The recent craze for healthy eating means that acid attack is becoming more common. Your favourite fruit drink may contain no sugar, but it is high in acid, which strips the enamel from your teeth.  “While eating lots of fruit and vegetables and getting your five-a-day is undoubtedly a good thing, large amounts of these foods, which contain natural sugars, mean that acid erosion begins to play a part. So it is definitely not as simple as eating healthily, ” he says.

 

The good news, however, is that it is easy to counteract acid attack. The worst thing you can do after drinking a smoothie or other acidic snack is brush your teeth, which simply washes away enamel. Don’t do the classic thing and clean your teeth straight after you drink fruit juice or eat a salad. Wait at least 30 to 45 minutes. It also helps to rinse out your mouth and drink water or re-mineralise your teeth by drinking some milk.

 

Milk and other calcium-rich foods such as cheese are necessary for healthy teeth, while tea (without sugar) is a natural source of fluoride, which has long been known to contribute to excellent tooth health. And you should always choose water over other drinks as a simple but effective way of making sure your teeth don’t come under attack.

 

A healthy amount of saliva also helps protect your teeth. Saliva is produced by the salivary glands and contains antibacterial compounds and enzymes which kick off the digestion process. These enzymes also break down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from decay. So the more saliva the better; you can stimulate production by chewing gum containing tooth-friendly ingredients such as xylitol. Just make sure the gum is sugar-free...