How Your Diet Affects Your Dental Health

Most people realize that sugar is bad for your teeth. They know sugar causes decay but they probably don’t know exactly how. It is actually the bacteria in your mouth that feed on the sugar. As the bacteria metabolize sugars and starches that remain on your teeth after eating and drinking, they not only produce enamel eating acid that cause tooth decay, but they multiply. That’s why it is important to 1) brush your teeth after every meal, and 2) try to eat a diet low in sugars and starches. However, this is not the only way that diet affects your dental health.

Why You Need A Balanced Diet

You know that a balanced diet is important for your overall health, but it is important for your dental health, too. If you don’t get enough of the proper nutrients you may not be able to fight off dental infections. This can lead to the development of periodontal disease and eventual tooth loss. Periodontal disease is not caused by a poor diet, but according to research, it is believed that a poor diet can lead to a faster and more severe progression of the disease.

Harmful Bacteria

As stated earlier, your mouth is a cavern of bacteria. The good bacteria help keep the bad bacteria in check, but a high sugar diet encourages the reproduction of harmful oral bacteria. To reduce the bad bacteria, reduce the sugars and starches in your diet by choosing healthy foods and drinking water, rather than eating and drinking sugary foods and beverages. One of the easiest ways to avoid a diet high in sugar is by choosing to eat raw, crispy, crunchy fruits and vegetables rather than cakes, cookies, or candy. Raw vegetables especially act as natural toothbrushes when chewing by cleaning off the clear, sticky bacterial plaque that forms on your teeth between meals. Fruits and vegetables also do not contain processed sugars.