How Can Diet Play An Important Role on Your Dental Health?

Our bodies need proper nutrition in the form of a well-balanced diet to function properly. The food you eat does not just affect your overall health but also your oral and dental health. 

For instance, if you eat lots of sugary food, drink soda, or consume snacks low in nutrition, you risk having tooth decay. 

If you frequently consume foods and beverages having high acidic content, you are at risk of enamel erosion which causes immense wear and tear in your teeth.

Nutrition and diet have a significant bidirectional relationship with our dental health and can influence the development and progression of many oral diseases, such as periodontal disease, cavities, erosion, etc.

There are many different types of nutritional studies, such as case-control studies, epidemiological studies, and clinical trials, to establish the relationship between nutrition and dental hygiene. 

In this article, we will look at the role of diet in oral health and how a bad diet can impact your pearly whites, gums, and tissues in your mouth.

Definition of a Healthy Mouth

Our mouth (also known as the oral cavity) begins at our lips and ends at the throat. We need well-functioning teeth and a healthy mouth for various functions like eating, breathing, and speaking.

• The tissues within a healthy mouth are moist and do not have a bad odor.
• Our mouths also have gums or the gingival tissues and periodontium (supporting bone structure). If your mouth is in good shape, your gingiva should be firm (not inflamed or swollen) and should not bleed when you brush or floss.
• In a well-maintained oral cavity, there is no tooth decay or signs of ulcers, lumps, or unusual color of cheeks, tongue, or gums.
• Teeth should be firmly attached to the bone and are not wiggly.
• There should be no pain while brushing or chewing food.

What You Eat and Drink Impacts Your Oral Hygiene

Your oral health and diet are inextricably linked, and you can help your dental hygiene by being mindful of what you eat.

• Refined starches and sugary foods and beverages create a film that sticks to your teeth which raises the risk of plaque formation.
• Diet and cavity formation are strongly related. If a child has nutritional deficiencies, his or her teeth might come out malformed. If the mother has a shortage of minerals and vitamins before conception, it affects embryo development along with impacting dental organogenesis, maxilla growth, and facial development.
• When the inorganic part of our tooth demineralizes, it forms caries. Caries develop due to the presence of bacteria and sugars, but the susceptibility of a tooth also influences caries. The quality of saliva secretion and the type of bacteria in our mouths affects caries. Sugary foods and drinks are the main cause of bacteria and caries in our mouths.
• In the pre-eruptive stage, our teeth depend significantly on our nutritional state. If children do not get enough Vitamin D and A, or proteins, it can cause hypoplasia of enamel. Additionally it can cause atrophy of salivary glands (this condition can affect caries development).

How To Maintain Optimal Oral Health Through Diet?

We all know by now that starchy and sugary foods, sodas, and soft drinks can affect our oral cavity adversely. But what should we consume to maintain our dental health? Here is a list of food you can add to your food regime for a healthy mouth:

• Whole grains – There are B Vitamins and iron in whole grains which is good for our gums. The bones and teeth are strengthened by magnesium in the whole grains. Eat brown rice and whole-grain cereals as they are some of the good sources of whole grains.
• Calcium-rich food – You are less likely to develop gum disease if you consume foods rich in calcium, such as meats, eggs, and fish. Calcium keeps our teeth’ enamel strong.
• Healthy fats – Healthy fats such as avocado oil, olive oil, and fatty fish oils are an important part of an anti-inflammatory diet that enhances oral and dental health.
• Sugar-free gums – Saliva is a natural cleanser for our teeth, and chewing sugar-free gums between meals increases saliva production in our mouths. Sugar-free gums also refresh your breath.
• Drink a lot of water – Tap water, which has fluoride, is the best way to protect your teeth. Fluoride makes our teeth more resistant to acid attacks and less prone to decay.

Conclusion 

Proper nutrition is critical to dental health, as explained in this article. Apart from diet, you must also consider regular visits to your dentist’s office every six months and keep cavities and other oral issues away.