Nutrition can have an impact on our oral health, and our oral health can impact how we absorb our nutrition, beginning with the capability to chew and digest our food properly. So what exactly is the relationship between nutrition and oral health.

Prioritize Healthy Eating and Drinking

One way to address the connection between nutrition and oral health is to consider your sugar intake, and how many foods you are eating that have a high acid content. Eating less sugar, and avoiding food with high acid content can prevent tooth decay before it begins.

If a food has sugar as its first listed ingredient, it contains high amounts of sugar. Try to eat foods that have less sugar, and more nutrients that will promote dental health, such as milk, yogurt or cheese.

Foods with higher acid content can soften enamel, increasing the chance of wear and tear on the teeth.

After eating the above foods, wait an hour at least before brushing, so as not to brush against the softened enamel, and cause even more wear and tear on your teeth. Eating well can prolong good oral health.

Eat Sugar Better

When you just gotta indulge a little, you can address your nutrition and oral health, by choosing the healthiest ways to indulge in your favorite snacks. For instance, if you eat sugar during a meal instead of a snack. This helps promote the production of saliva, washing the harmful ingredients away and reducing your teeth’s exposure to them.

Brush an hour later, if you can, or reach for a bottle of water or sugar free gum to continue to wash your mouth clean of food debris and potentially damaging ingredients.

Snacking Better

Snacking well matters, and is a huge part of nutrition and oral health. Foods like cheese, yogurt, nuts, fresh fruits and veggies can prevent decay simply by limiting the mouth’s exposure to foods that encourage plaque and contribute to the wear and tear on the enamel covering your teeth.

Avoid sticky sugary foods like raisins, candy, caramel, jelly beans, etc. Also stay away from fruit juice, due to its high acid content, and soda or energy drinks, both high in sugar, and caffeine, which can contribute to dry mouth and tooth decay.

Call our Copperas Cove, Taylor, Belton, Manor or Temple dental offices to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.

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