How Your Diet Can Affect Your Oral Health: Here’s What You Need To Know

Your mouth is the main entry point for food and beverages. This is why it’s no wonder when your family dentist Reston points out that your diet significantly affects your dental health.

Why We Need To Be Careful With Our Diet

The things we consume — especially those foods typical to an American diet — contain sugar and mostly acidic. When they come in contact with your teeth, and your teeth are not cleaned properly afterward, these substances can accumulate and eat away your teeth’s enamel (or protective layer). When not resolved immediately, this will result in the decay of our teeth.

Apart from this one, it’s also a fact that eating an unhealthy diet means that our bodies — including our gums and teeth — are not receiving the proper amount of nutrients needed to keep us protected from viruses, bacteria, and other infections. If our overall immune system underperforms, it could affect even our oral health.

Foods and Beverages to Avoid

If you ask a family dentist Reston, the following foods and drinks are most likely to be included in his or her bad-for-your-oral-health list:

Sugary snacks like cookies, cakes, etc.

Processed foods

Sticky foods like raisins and sugar-laden chewing gums

Sports and energy drinks

Sodas and juices with artificial flavors

Teeth-staining drinks like coffee, tea, and red wine

Tips on How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Want to maintain good oral hygiene? Apart from regular brushing and flossing and regular dental cleaning, here are some more tips:

Increase your alkaline food intake. Instead of munching on sugary and acidic foods, it would be better to eat something alkaline such as raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, and breadsticks.

Drink plenty of water. Skip drinking sodas and artificially-flavored drinks. Plain water does not only help protect the teeth, but it’s also good for your overall health as well.

Get enough calcium. Aim for stronger bones by getting the right amount of calcium (at least 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams per day). You can do so by eating beans, almonds, and leafy vegetables.

Avoid smoking. Cigarettes and tobaccos are harmful to your oral and overall health. They contain dangerous chemicals and substances including nicotine, tar, acetone, ammonia, and carcinogens formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, and benzene.

It’s Not Only About What We Eat

Every experienced family dentist Reston knows that it’s not just about what we take into our mouths — a healthy diet also includes eating proper food at the proper time.

According to the American Dental Association, “spacing meals and beverages apart by at least two hours reduces the risk of tooth decay.” This is why experts recommend cutting down on snacking if you want to avoid developing issues in your dental health. Take note that the more you eat full meals with snacks in between, the more residual particles will be left on your teeth.

To know how you can correctly plan your eating and drinking habits, it’s highly advised that you consult with your dentist first, especially if you have other medical conditions that also require a certain dietary plan.

If you need the best family dentist Reston patients trust, contact us today at Reston Dental Care. Don’t believe the reviews, book an appointment with one of our dentists.