Nutrition Counseling for Dental Patients
Nutrition Counseling for Dental Patients
Nutrition choices play an important role in preventing tooth decay and gum disease.
A balanced, nutritious diet is essential to healthy living. You may eat with your eyes first, but your mouth, teeth, and gums are more than just tools for eating. They’re essential for chewing and swallowing—the first steps in the digestion process. Your mouth is your body’s initial point of contact with the nutrients you consume. So what you put in your mouth impacts not only your general health but also that of your teeth and gums. In fact, if your nutrition is poor, the first signs often show up in your oral health.
Your individual nutrition and calorie needs depend on your age, gender, level of physical activity, and other health factors, but a balanced and healthy diet should include: vegetables, fruits, and water.
In addition to diet, it’s also important to stay active for good health: Adults should get at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity physical activity every week.
Foods that may harm dental health
- Empty calorie foods such as candy (especially hard or sticky candies like lollipops, mints, taffy, and caramel), sweets like cookies, cakes, and muffins, and snack foods like chips are a cause for dental concern, not only because they offer no nutritional value, but because the amount and type of sugar that they contain that can adhere to teeth. The bacteria in your mouth feed off these sugars, releasing acids, and that’s what leads to tooth decay.
- Sugar-containing drinks—soda, lemonade, juice, and sweetened coffee or tea (iced or hot)—are particularly harmful because sipping them causes a constant sugar bath over teeth, which promotes tooth decay.
- Nutritious, acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus fruits can have acidic effects on tooth enamel, too, so eat them as part of a meal, not by themselves. Dried fruits, including raisins, are also good choices for a healthy diet, but since they are sticky and adhere to teeth, the plaque acids that they produce continue to harm teeth long after you stop eating them. Opt for a piece of fresh fruit instead.
Foods that may benefit dental health
- Cheese, milk, plain yogurt, calcium-fortified tofu, leafy greens, and almonds, are foods that may benefit tooth health thanks to their high amounts of calcium and other nutrients they provide.
- Phosphorus-rich foods play a critical role in dental health, by protecting and rebuilding tooth enamel.
- Fruits and vegetables are good choices for a healthy smile since they are high in water and fiber, which balance the sugars they contain and help to clean the teeth. These foods also help stimulate saliva production, which washes harmful acids and food particles away from teeth and helps neutralize acid, protecting teeth from decay. Plus, many contain vitamin C (important for healthy gums and quick healing of wounds) and vitamin A (another key nutrient in building tooth enamel).
- Water—particularly fluoridated water—is the most tooth-friendly beverage.
Tips to reduce your risk of cavities
- Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes to remove sugars and food particles from your teeth.
- Limit between-meal snacking.
- Keep added sugar in your diet to a minimum by making wise food and beverage choices.
- Drink plain water after and during every meal, a minimum of 8oz daily is suggested.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Sugar is the worst enemy of your teeth. The bacteria in your mouth feed off these sugars, releasing acids, and that’s what leads to tooth decay.
- Acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus fruits can have acidic effects on tooth enamel, too, so eat them as part of a meal, not by themselves.
- Calcium and phosphorus-rich foods play a critical role in dental health, by protecting and rebuilding tooth enamel.
- Fruits and vegetables are good since they are high in water and fiber, stimulate saliva production, and many contain beneficial vitamins C and A.
- Water—particularly fluoridated water—is the most tooth-friendly beverage.