Diet & Nutrition
How is your diet? Do you eat a balanced diet? Are you getting the right amount of the four food groups to keep your body healthy? Do you drink lots of water? A balanced, nutritious diet is good for your general health as well as your dental health. Without the right nutrients, your teeth and gums can become more susceptible to decay and gum disease and eventually the loss of bone that holds your teeth in place and tooth loss.
Eat a balanced diet. Getting the right amount of vitamins and nutrients is essential for maintaining a healthy and positive life. When we eat right and limit the amount of ‘unhealthy’ snacks, we strengthening our bodies to flight off dieses. Make sure your getting the right
amount of the four food groups to keep you and your mouth strong and healthy. Especially the right amount of dairy to keep your bones and teeth strong! Also it’s important to drink lots of water as it flushes all the toxins from the body.
Ask Dr. Prosser if you’re not sure how your nutrition affects oral health. Tooth loss, joint dysfunction or pain can impair chewing and are often found in elderly people, those on restricted diets and undergoing medical treatment. People experiencing these problems may be too isolated or weakened to eat nutritionally balanced meals at a time when it is very important.
Eat a well balanced diet with moderation and variety. Develop eating habits that follow the recommendations from reputable health organizations such as the American Dietetic Association and the National Institute of Health. Choose food from the four basic food groups: fruit and vegetables, breads and cereals, milk and dairy products, and meat, chicken, fish or beans. Avoid fad diets that limit or eliminate entire food groups that usually result in vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Keep your mouth moist by drinking lots of water. Saliva protects both hard and soft oral tissue. If you have a dry mouth supplement your diet with sugarless candy or gum to help produce saliva. Foods that cling to your teeth cause tooth decay. Avoid soft, sweet, sticky foods such as cakes, candy and dried fruits. Choose healthy food such as nuts, raw vegetables, plain yogurt, cheese and sugarless gum or candy. When you eat crackers, cookies and chips eat them as part of your meal instead of by themselves. Studies show that dental disease is just as related to overeating as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
Sugar is one of the main causes of dental problems. The average person eats the equivalent of 88 pounds of sugar each year. Here are a few ways to reduce your sugar intake and help your teeth at the same time.
- Choose sugar-free snacks such as milk, fruit, vegetables, nuts, plain yogurt, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, cheese, melba toast, juice and salads. Add less sugar to your coffee or tea or try sugar substitutes. Try to avoid sugar-sweetened soft drinks and look for fruit juices and drinks with no added sugar.
- Pay attention to the list of ingredients on the products you buy at the grocery store. Honey, molasses, liquid invert sugar, glucose, and fructose are all types of sugar.
- When you do eat sweets, there are things you can do to avoid harming your teeth: avoid sticky sweets that cling to your teeth and are hard to brush away; eat sweets with meal and not on their own. This will improve the flow of saliva which helps wash away and dilute sugar from the sweets.
- If you can’t brush, at least rinse your mouth out with water or eat a fibrous fruit such as an apple or raw vegetables.
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