Best Foods for Healthy Teeth

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You can tell a lot about how a person eats from his teeth because you really are what you eat when it comes to dental health. If you are eating foods with high sugar content, there is a higher likelihood that you will experience tooth decay. If you drink alcohol, you are not hydrating your mouth, but rather drying it out and preventing saliva from keeping it moist and healthy. Alcohol has also been linked to gum disease.

Even soda pop can cause major damage with a recent study finding that carbonated beverages could be as damaging to your teeth as using methamphetamine and crack cocaine.

There are several other foods we should stay away from in order to keep our teeth in tip-top condition, but are there foods that are healthy for our teeth?

As it turns out, there are quite a few. Her are five of the best that will help keep your your pearly whites shiny and ready to do some heavy chomping.

1. Apples

While apples technically have sugar, they’re not quite in the same category as say, a sucker or a candy bar. Apples are high in fiber and water, which are both key ingredients in removing food debris from your teeth.The biggest benefit, however, is the texture of the apple, and the fact that you have to chew so much to break it down enough to swallow. And that act of chewing produces saliva that is essential to helping to protect your teeth from sugar, acid, and bacteria that often cause tooth decay.

2. Cheese

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“Say, Cheese!” is what you will likely hear when someone is trying to get you to smile for a picture. But, if you haven’t been eating any of the actual cheese you are being asked to smile about, you may want to stick to humming while your photo is snapped.

Cheese, along with other dairy products like yogurt have saliva producing bacterias that have been found to raise the pH levels inside your mouth, and in turn, lowering their risk of tooth decay. Cheese also has calcium and protein that help strengthen tooth enamel.

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 3. Leafy Greens

It’s true that leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, collard greens, kale and many more will likely find their way on any lids of healthy foods for just about anything. This is because they are packed full of healthy vitamins and minerals while being low in caloric intake. Specifically for teeth, however, these green vegetables are high in calcium to help build enamel, and they have folic acid that has been linked to treating bum disease in pregnant women.

4. Almonds

Aw, nuts! We mean … Awe, nuts (smiley face).

Almonds are fantastic for your teeth because they contain calcium, protein, and like the leafy greens, they are also low in sugar. They also require quite a bit of chewing to break down, adding to the production of that all-important saliva.

However, if you are not really a nut person, you can drink almond milk, as it too, has been found to be a good source of protein, and when fortified, can contain healthy amounts of calcium and vitamin D. Keep in mind, however, to stay away from the sweetened kind as the sugar content may be counterintuitive to your dental health efforts.

5. Water

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Do you want clean teeth? Do you want strong teeth? Do you want a healthy mouth and gums? If you answered yes to all of those questions, then you really need to drink water.

Water contains fluoride that is a mineral that has been known as nature’s cavity fighter because of its teeth strengthening powers. And when healthy amounts are present in your drinking water, it does a splendid job of doing just that.

Water also rinses stuff out of our mouths and off our teeth. And saliva? Well, without water, it ceases to exist.

So, go grab some leafy greens, top them with sliced apples, nuts and top it with your favorite cheese. Then wash it all down — or rather rinse it all through with a tall glass of water.

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