Proper nutrition means eating a well-balanced diet for your body to get the nutrients it needs for ensuring good wellness and health. If your body lacks essential nutrients, your mouth will ultimately be unable to resist infection. So, how does nutrition affect your dental health? Basically, a poor diet can result in tooth decay and gum disease. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates, starches and sugars highly contribute to the buildup of plaque acids that in turn attack the enamel, eventually wearing it down and forming a cavity.
Foods high in any kind of sugar can lead to tooth decay. A majority of foods, including vegetables and milk, contain some kind of sugar. However, they are an essential component of a healthy diet since many of them contain vital nutrients. To avoid consumption of excess sugar, read food labels before making a purchase and stay away from candies, sodas, pastries, and cookies. If there is a shortage of minerals and nutrients in your diet, it can create a problem for your mouth’s tissues to resist infection. This could result in a gum disease or tooth loss.
To maintain a healthy, balanced diet, consume a variety of foods from each of the five groups, and cut down on the number of empty calorie snacks. If you must, snack on nutritious foods, such as raw vegetables, cheese, and fruits. Remember that when you consume foods as part of a regular meal, it causes less harm since the saliva produced helps to wipe the food particles and acids from the mouth and diminish any bacteria accumulated to feast on the stagnant food bits.
Drink lots of water as it acts the same way as saliva and gets rids of any unwanted residue that can cause problems.
So, as you can see, the adage ‘you are what you eat’ applies to your dental health as well.
