We all know that there are many foods that aren’t great for your teeth; some of these include sugary treats, sodas, wine, acidic foods, and chewy candies. However, did you know there are certain foods that actually strengthen your teeth and are good for your overall oral health? Keep reading to find out what some of these are so you can have a tooth-friendly diet.



Cheese

It’s a little-known fact that cheese is actually one of the best choices for healthy teeth! It has many benefits, the first of which is that it’s rather low in sugar but high in calcium. Calcium helps keep your bones strong, including your teeth. It also has casein- a protein that fortifies your bone density. Cheese also has a high phosphate content, which helps preserve your tooth enamel.

Chewing cheese also increases saliva production, and that’s beneficial because saliva washes away bacteria in the mouth and decreases acidity levels.

Nuts

Not only are nuts healthy for your overall health, but for your oral health as well. They’re full of beneficial components such as phosphorus and calcium. Other nuts that have tooth-healthy nutrients include:

• Peanuts: calcium and vitamin D
• Almonds: calcium
• Cashews: stimulate saliva production
• Walnuts: fiber, iron, thiamine, magnesium, niacin, vitamin B6, zinc, potassium, and more

Almonds and cashews are even better because they can help fight bacteria.

Leafy Vegetables

You now have a whole new reason to eat your greens! Spinach, kale, cabbage, microgreens, and watercress are a few popular ones. They have a multitude of vitamins and minerals, which are also known to produce saliva and strengthen your enamel. They’re also high in other nutrients such as B vitamins, folic acid, and calcium for ultimately healthy teeth.

Yet green vegetables aren’t the only ones you should have in your diet- carrots are known to be a cavity-fighting vegetable, because chewing on them mimics the benefits of a toothbrush cleaning your teeth. Not only does the crunching and munching massage your gums, but carrots have keratin, which kills plaque, and Vitamin A, which strengthens enamel.

Salmon and Fatty Meats

Salmon is a fatty fish that’s high in omega-3s and vitamin D, which both help your body absorb calcium for your teeth. It also has a good amount of phosphorus, which helps protect tooth enamel.

Black and Green Tea

While teas have the potential of staining your teeth if you consume an abundance of them, black and green tea are actually good for them because they contain polyphenols, which kill off bacteria that cause plaque. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar and then leave behind acids that destroy tooth enamel. Since tea minimizes those dangerous acids, it’s a great drink to have after a meal.

Contact Our Family Dentist in Evanston

Eating tooth-healthy foods and having a healthy oral routine at home is a large part of keeping your mouth healthy. However, you can’t achieve optimal oral health without visiting a dentist twice a year. Stephens Dentistry upholds the highest standards of care in dentistry and we can guarantee you’ll be satisfied with our level of detail. Give our practice a call today to schedule your appointment!

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