Obviously sweets and high-acid foods (like orange juice and Coke) are bad for your teeth. But what should you add to your diet if you want to boost your dental health?
1. Cheese
Cheese contains calcium, which is good for your teeth. But it also contains the milk protein casein, which can help improve the surface of your teeth and make them more resistant to cavities.
Yogurt is also helpful for the same reason: it too contains calcium and casein. But be cautious about your choice. Most yogurts contain a shocking amount of sugar, and sugar will lead to bacterial growth and cavities.
2. Sugar-free gum
Chewing a stick of gum after a meal can help your dental health, because the added saliva production helps wash away food particles that feed bacteria. Gums with xylitol are even better, because this chemical helps slow the growth of bacteria (and makes your breath fresh, too).
3. Crunchy raw veggies
Fruit and vegetables like celery, apples, pears, and carrots are great for your teeth because the chewing action helps remove plaque build-up, and the water content helps rinse away food particles. Don't overdo it with the apples, though. The extra sugar in the apples can end up causing more cavity problems in the long run, thus canceling out the benefits.
4. Kiwi fruit
It might sound like a surprising choice, but kiwis have the most vitamin C per ounce of any other fruit. And vitamin C is very helpful in supporting and improving gum health.
5. Green tea
Green tea has a whole host of health benefits. Among them is its concentration of catechins, which kill the bacteria that cause plaque and gingivitis.
6. Water
It's not exactly a food, but drinking water with and after any meal, and after any staining food (like coffee or black tea) can help rinse away bacteria and stain-causing materials. Just one more reason to drink more water every day.
Image courtesy Flickr/julesjulesjules m
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