Mom’s Tips for Healthy Teeth Provide a Solid Foundation for Dental Care

Eat Your Veggies Every Day

Vegetables have many health benefits for your teeth and eating them is at the top of mom’s tips for healthy teeth. For example, they provide vitamins and minerals that help teeth grow strong. They also help you produce saliva to clean your mouth and keep enamel healthy.

Leafy greens like lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, chard, and collard greens are high in calcium, folic acid, and B vitamins. They are good for your body and your oral health. Because they contain calcium, leafy greens can help build your teeth’s enamel to protect and strengthen your teeth. In addition, leafy greens also contain folic acid. Folic acid, also called folate, helps prevent gum disease. Studies show that folic acid can also reduce inflammation in the gums and help them resist dental plaque and anaerobic bacteria. These are two of the leading causes of gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath.

Salads and smoothies are an excellent way to get your leafy greens and also to get your celery and carrots. Celery helps clean your teeth because the texture scrapes leftover food particles and bacteria away from your teeth. Also, carrots and celery are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Try adding raw carrots to a salad or enjoy baby carrots as a snack.

Got a Sweet Tooth? Reach for Fruit First

When it comes to sweet experiences, start with fruit. If you can get your kids used to reaching for fruit first, the sweet craving will be easier to satisfy. There is a wide variety of fruit and you really can’t go wrong with any that your children will eat. But it is a good idea to get them used to a variety of fruits at a young age. Providing, of course, that they have no allergies.

When it comes to your teeth, three of the best nutrient-packed fruits for the teeth are apples, kiwis, and strawberries.

Eating apples helps cleanse and clean teeth and breath. The fibrous content act like a toothbrush removing plaque from teeth and food debris. In addition, the acidity in an apple freshens breath. Be sure to leave the skin on the apple. It is full of healthy fiber to help keep teeth and gums clean.

Kiwi is a type of berry with excellent fiber content and it is packed with calcium, an important mineral for your teeth. For example, calcium neutralizes acids and helps bolster your tooth enamel’s defense.

Strawberry is another fibrous berry that is great for the teeth and gums.  Plus, they are packed with vitamin C to help your body produce collagen. This protein is vital to maintaining your gums’ strength. Four to six strawberries give you about 70% of your daily requirement of vitamin C.

Two Fun-Packed Treats that Deliver on Dairy Attributes

Milk is no longer the dairy queen! Yes, there are other stars in this arena for those who are avoiding milk. In fact, cheese is one of the best foods for healthy teeth because it’s low in sugar and high in calcium. It contains casein, which is a protein that is particularly useful for fortifying tooth enamel. Cheese is high in calcium, which is important for maintaining bone density. Cheese is also high in phosphate content, which helps balance pH levels in the mouth, which helps to preserve tooth enamel. Another great reason cheese is a friend to our teeth is that chewing it increases saliva production, which helps to wash away bacteria in the mouth.

Aside from good old-fashioned fluoridated water, milk is the best drink when it comes to your teeth. It’s rich in calcium and other important elements. Milk, like cheese, also lowers the acid levels in the mouth, which helps fighting tooth decay.

Yogurt is packed with calcium and probiotics that protect you against cavities, gum disease, and even bad breath.

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Brush Twice a Day

According to the American Dental Association and Mom, everyone should brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for at least two minutes. The reason to brush your teeth is to help remove food and plaque. Plaque contains bacteria that sticks to your teeth as a white film. When you finish eating a meal or snack containing sugar, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack your tooth enamel. As a result, the acid eventually breaks down enamel causing cavities.

Plaque that isn’t removed can harden into tartar and making it harder to keep your teeth clean. In addition, tartar buildup on gums leads to inflammation and causes gum disease.

When choosing the best time of day to brush, consider your diet. When you eat or drink acidic foods, avoid brushing your teeth right away. That is because acids weaken tooth enamel. Brushing too soon can remove the enamel. If you have eaten or drank something acidic, simply rinse your mouth well with fresh water immediately after eating until your regular brushing.

Also, consider buying an electric or battery-operated toothbrush. These remove plaque better than manual toothbrushes. Also, this is especially helpful if you have arthritis or difficulty holding a toothbrush.

Don’t Forget to Floss

Mom will tell you, healthy teeth and gums are a good indicator of a healthy body. You can maintain good oral health by brushing your teeth twice daily and using mouthwash and flossing daily. You should also visually check your mouth and gums after brushing to be sure everything looks normal.

Flossing is important. Dental floss removes up to 40 percent of the bacteria from your mouth and teeth that can turn into plaque. Plaque hardens within hours of eating. Once 48hours have passed, it is very difficult to remove it from your teeth. Professional cleaning is usually the best way to remove hardened plaque. Few people realize that each tooth has five surfaces. When you skip flossing at least two whole surfaces don’t get cleaned. Over time bacteria build-up and cavities form.

It’s not necessary to begin flossing until children’s teeth start to fit closely together. Most children start flossing between the ages of two and six. Keep a close eye on your child’s teeth as more grow in so you know when you need to start flossing regularly, and check with your pediatric dentist or orthodontist. You will need to floss for your child until they’re old enough to learn how to floss with your help. Even after your child is physically capable of flossing their own teeth, continue to supervise until they are around the age of 10 to be sure they are flossing thoroughly. Also, it is critical to reinforce safety with dental floss and keep it out of reach of children when they are not using it to clean their teeth.

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Drink Proper Water Amounts as Recommended

Did you know a dry mouth can result in cavities? Drinking water is good for your teeth because it keeps your mouth cleaner. Plaque can’t build up as easily in a hydrated mouth. Acids from plaque, food, and beverages will harm tooth enamel, but drinking water dilutes acids and helps protect teeth.

Drinking water with fluoride (nature’s cavity fighter) is one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do to help prevent cavities. Fluoride is a mineral and, in the right amount, fluoride in your drinking water helps to strengthen teeth. In the United States, many cities have fluoride in the local tap water.

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See your Dentist at Least Twice a Year

Listen to mom and go to your dentist at least twice a year. However, a dentist  may request that you visit more regularly if you have ongoing concerns. The best thing you can do to keep your check-ups to a minimum is to implement good oral hygiene. In other words, follow mom’s tips for healthy teeth.

The entire team at Phoenix Dental Design welcomes you to visit our office in Central Phoenix. We are happy to show you around and answer any questions you might have. If you are ready to consult with us, please contact us at (602) 956-2241 today.