Taking good care of your smile is an essential component of maintaining your overall health. As you know, your diet affects your body and its ability to function at its peak. A well-balanced diet contributes to feeling great and helps you have enough energy to accomplish everything you set your mind to. Moreover, eating well also directly impacts the health of your mouth. In today’s blog, your Newport Beach, CA dentist discusses how your diet affects your oral health.
A Healthy Diet Means A Healthy Smile
Surely you’ve heard that eating sugar can lead to cavities. This is something that most of our parents told us when bringing home a particularly large haul from Halloween trick-or-treating. However, the correlation between sugar and decay isn’t always made clear, so it is important to know how and why the two are connected. When you eat something with sugar, the bacteria in your mouth start consuming it and create acid as a byproduct. This acid is what causes your enamel to weaken, which can then lead to tooth decay — specifically cavities. Cavities can be treated with dental fillings when caught early enough, but they can worsen over time, leading to the need for more intensive cosmetic and restorative procedures to mitigate and fix the damage.
Smarter Food Choices
While sugar-filled treats like candy, cookies, and sodas are major tooth decay culprits, healthier foods contain sugar as well. Fruit, for instance, is sugary and acidic, and while it is still beneficial to eat, it can harm your teeth. With this in mind, try to eat it at mealtimes —while you are eating other foods — rather than snacking. Eating between meals can be harmful to your smile because your mouth doesn’t produce as much saliva when you are consuming less food. Saliva helps wash food particles off of your teeth, keeping them cleaner and less prone to having bacterial build-up.
For the best overall health — including oral health — eat balanced meals, and try to do so at designated times. Again, having bigger meals rather than snacking gives your mouth the opportunity to clean itself with saliva, meaning that decay won’t settle into your teeth. Be sure to drink lots of water as well. If you do snack, try to keep it healthy, opting for vegetables, whole grains, or fruit. It is also important to supplement a healthy diet with good oral habits. Brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once. If you do happen to eat something sweet, acidic, or sticky, it is advisable to brush and floss immediately afterward to remove any particles or bacteria before it settles in.
Contact Us To Learn More About Good Oral Health Habits
If you have any questions about maintaining a healthy mouth and healthy body, overall, please contact us today. To schedule an appointment, please call Balboa Dental Surgery in Newport Beach, CA, today at 949-630-0143.
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