Keeping your teeth healthy requires more than just good dental hygiene – it also means eating the right foods. Here’s what our teeth’s enemies and friends are to chew on.
What’s good for your teeth
The best friends of teeth are fluoride and calcium. Sources of fluoride include fish (mackerel, pollack, cod, salmon, flounder and others), walnuts, wholemeal bread and tea. Calcium is rich in almonds, beans and soya, sesame, sultanas, apricots and other dried fruits, green vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, especially dill, parsley, sorrel).
But the best known source of calcium is of course dairy products. However, not all of them are good for teeth. Sugary milkshakes and ice cream can do more harm than good. Firstly, they contain sugar, which damages your teeth. Secondly, sugar, like salt, interferes with the absorption of calcium. Cheese – one of the healthiest dairy products for teeth
The healthiest of all dairy products is cheese, especially its hard varieties. It is rich in casein and phosphate, which restores dental enamel. By the way, calcium, which is essential for teeth, is actively eliminated from the body under the influence of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco.
Teeth also need iron and vitamin B12, the lack of which can cause thinning of the mucosal layer, leading to ulcers and tongue inflammation. Meat is a good source of iron and vitamin B12. Vitamin C, which is rich in lemons and apples, stimulates metabolic processes. Lack of vitamin C is a well-known scurvy that causes bleeding gums and losing teeth.
In addition, the teeth are stressed. This is provided by coarse foods. Most coarse foods keep the gums and dental ligaments in place and stimulate the blood supply. Of course, fatty meats will create more chewing pressure, but vegetables and fruits such as radishes or carrots are much healthier. Their hard fibers clean your teeth and massage your gums as well as a toothbrush.
Foods that wreak havoc on your teeth
The bacteria that live in your mouth and cause tooth decay use sugar to grow and multiply. The more sweet and starchy foods we eat, the faster the process progresses. The most accessible to the bacteria is refined sugar, which is contained in confectionery products: candies, chocolates, muffins, sweet chewing gum and drinks. Sugary foods have another disadvantage – they are bland and do not provide chewiness. It is better to eat dried fruit as sweets.
Some foods contain acid which destroys enamel. Most dangerous are carbonated drinks. Carbonated drinks damage teeth: the acid contained in carbonated beverages damages tooth enamel.
If drunk frequently they can cause non-carious breakdown of the tooth enamel, i.e. the enamel is eaten away by the acid and not the bacteria. Acidic fruit juices and citrus fruits in large quantities may have the same effect.
Very hot or cold foods can be harmful to tooth enamel. Hot coffee with ice cream or cold
