Our feet, bed and teeth are the best investments anyone can make. Teeth are one part of our healthcare that we frequently ignore, and hope the pain and troubles will disappear. But we all know dental problems don’t work that way, so it’s always better to prevent than to cure. Our teeth must last us a lifetime, and any procedure regarding them is expensive. Preventing future pain and deteriorating quality of life and problems is possible with a proactive lifestyle. With some dietary changes, you’ll never see the inside of the dentist’s office ever again.
1. Teeth-Friendly Snacks
Everyone loves to snack during the day. We all have our vices and preferences, but our teeth don’t care. Sugary snacks are horrible for your diet, weight and teeth. By switching to healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables, you’re already doing your entire body a favor, especially your teeth. Sugar from sweets is addicting.
The more you eat them, the more your body demands. Your teeth deteriorate at a faster pace due to high sugar intake. But when you eat strawberries, raspberries, apples, bananas, mangoes and other citruses, you’ll feel better, and lose weight. Change starts with small steps, and cutting out sugary snacks is the best starting step!
2. Green Veggies = White Teeth
There’s no need for us to highlight the importance of vegetables in your diet. You don’t have to go vegan to have white teeth, but putting more greens on your plate will do the trick. Carrots, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, beans, kale, and variations of nuts are good teeth cleaners. If you are out of ideas for recipes that use plenty of vegetables, then look no further than Asian cuisine, especially Indian cuisine, for its rich in both meat and vegetables.
A balanced meal where half of it (or more) includes vegetables leads to a healthier lifestyle, a loss in weight and better teeth health. Aim for vegetables rich in calcium and protein, like spinach, so you give your body and teeth the strength they need!
3. Watch What You Drink!
As the saying goes: “Be water, my friend!” And it’s the best advice we can give you on what you should drink. Carbonated drinks are sweet and over-saturated with sugar, providing almost no nutritional value and costing more than water. Sports and energy drinks are the worst offenders because they have high acidity and even more sugar, which provides a temporary boost of energy. Even if you work out or train in any sport, drinking water is always the best alternative for your teeth and body.
Because sugary drinks can cause permanent or horrible damage to your teeth, having professional and recommended preventive dental care can be a lifesaver. Dentists in Penrith Dental Clinic can detect the early sign of teeth diseases and caries, helping you stay ahead of the curve. With a change in what you drink, with professional assistance, your teeth will have a fighting chance!
4. Alcohol and Starch
A good night out is associated with copious amounts of alcohol and junk food. Alcohol dehydrates your body, which is unhealthy, but dehydration has further consequences. Water makes up around 80% of the human body, and when we get below a certain threshold, we feel thirsty. Thirst is our body’s way of telling us we need to drink more water, and our urine color is the second indicator of whether we are dehydrated. Alcohol drains our bodies of water and can cause addiction, and a cascade of other problems.
One of them is the deterioration of your teeth because you’re left with less saliva. Saliva acts as a protector of our teeth and regularly washes them. Starch food goes together with alcohol, from deep-fried food to finger snacks. Such food can get stuck between your teeth, and with less saliva to wash them off, you have a recipe for disaster.
5. Milk to the Rescue
Calcium is the number one component of our bones, and teeth are visible bones. We’ve covered the food with calcium, but you can also drink milk and dairy products to supplement your calcium intake. We’re taught from an early age to drink milk with all of our meals, as children’s teeth need calcium to grow healthy and strong. Athletes also drink milk to help boost their muscle growth and bone density. Milk is also rich in protein, and dairy products help with indigestion.
When you drink milk and water, your teeth get stronger and whiter. Yogurt, cheese, sour cream, and milk with different fat percentages are all a great addition to your daily meals. In the morning with breakfast and before bed are when you can get the most out of your dairy intake. You are what you eat, so drinking calcium and protein makes you and your teeth strong. Our bodies are versatile and can withstand anything, but they need help from us to work.
6. Drinks for Teeth Color
You can eat all the right foods, wash your teeth twice, floss and take care, but some habits can always outperform. Cigarettes and coffee are the worst offenders and are the number one culprit when it comes to teeth color. Coffee stains on teeth make them darker and with coffee, your teeth will become yellowish.
The usual breakfast, or the Finish breakfast, of people in a hurry is coffee with a cigarette. No other combo of meals or drinks can cause so much damage to the whiteness of your teeth than early coffee and cigarettes. Coffee is a diuretic, draining your body from water, and cigarettes are simply poison. Making an effort to lead a healthier lifestyle will first be shown with a pristine white smile!
Everything we do or don’t get reflected in our bodies. Drinks, food, exercise, lifestyle and work habits all affect us differently. When we look in the mirror, we want to see the best version of ourselves possible. Smiling with dazzling white teeth, and happiness in our eyes. By changing what you eat and drink, you’ll be on your way to establishing a healthier lifestyle, which will reflect on your teeth!
Punit