When it comes to food, the mouth is quite sensitive. There are some types of foods that can cause damage to your teeth or gums when you eat them. The best thing to avoid this type of problem is to follow a healthy diet.
On the other hand, some foods benefit your oral health. They will help you clean your mouth and kill bacteria because they contain ingredients with antimicrobial properties.
Of course, if you want good oral hygiene, it’s important not only what you eat but also how often you brush your teeth and do dental check-ups too. But still, having a proper diet will be extremely helpful for your gums too! Here’s a list of foods that are good for your oral health:
Some foods that improve your oral health
1. Yogurt – contains lactobacillus, the “friendly” bacterium that helps protect against cavities and gum disease by producing lactic acid. The best thing about yoghurt is that it can be a healthy treat for you because there’s a wide variety of flavours and types, so you will never get bored eating this food!
2. Cheese-dairy products have been recognized to help prevent tooth decay.
3. Cumin seeds – these spicy seeds contain antibacterial agents that help fight off plaque buildup and reduce inflammation that leads to gingivitis. You should add cumin seeds to your diet if you’re looking for effective ways to boost oral health.
4. Cinnamon – the active ingredient in cinnamon called cinnamaldehyde has been linked with preventing bacteria from sticking to teeth and gums.
5. Flaxseed oil – flaxseeds are rich sources of vitamins A, B, C, D & E, proteins, minerals and phytochemicals, which are all good for oral health. All these healthy nutrients are kept intact when they’re turned into flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil can be used as a substitute for other fats in cooking, or you can add it to salads, smoothies or oatmeal.
Foods that are bad for your oral health
You should also remember that many foods will cause problems to your oral health because of their acidity level, so you should avoid them as much as possible. They are:
- Fruits, especially citrus fruit.
- Because it’s acidic, coffee affects your teeth’ enamel.
- Alcohol.
- Carbonated beverages sometimes have citric acid added to balance out the sweetness of the drink, which makes it bad for teeth too.
Remember that even if you don’t have soda or beer every day, just one or two can cause severe damage to your teeth. So try not to indulge too often!
Remember that sweet foods and drinks (like candy, cake, cookies etc.) should be eaten less often than sour ones (such as lemonade) because they contain more sugar which is bad for oral health.
Here’s what will improve your oral hygiene
- Brushing teeth at least two times a day for 2-3 minutes
- Flossing every day
- Regular dental check-ups
If you suffer from bad breath, another cause might be dry mouth. Usually, it’s a temporary condition brought by various things such as dehydration, smoking, medications or increased thirst.
Also, if your salivary glands don’t make enough saliva to keep your mouth moist, bacteria will start to grow, leading to cavities and other problems with oral health.
Maintaining proper hydration throughout the day is the best way to fight this condition. Water will help wash away food particles from your mouth that touch the back of your tongue or cheeks, which can then accumulate bacteria that cause bad breath. This condition can be a symptom of other conditions or diseases, so if you have it, you should see your dentist make sure nothing serious is happening.