While proper dental hygiene is critical for maintaining healthy teeth, what you eat often matters just as much. Some foods are high in starch and sugar, contributing to increased mouth acidity and tooth decay, whereas others provide tooth-fortifying nutrients. For better oral health, here are several foods you should add to your diet.

What Foods & Beverages Will Improve Your Dental Hygiene?

1. Dairy Products

Cheese, milk, and yogurt are high in calcium, which is essential for strengthening your teeth and bones. Additionally, they all encourage saliva production that effectively washes away bacteria to prevent tooth decay. Finally, cheese is rich in phosphorus that helps restore tooth enamel and keep your jawbone strong. 

2. Leafy Greens

If you’re lactose-intolerant or allergic to dairy, get your calcium instead from leafy greens like spinach, kale, lettuce, chard, and collard greens. These superfoods are also rich in folate, a B vitamin that reduces gum inflammation, helping to prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease.

3. Nuts & Seeds

Nuts and seeds are good sources of calcium, particularly sesame seeds and almonds. Similar to leafy greens, nuts are crunchy and stimulate saliva production that cleans your teeth.

4. Crunchy Fruits & Vegetables

Munching on hard or crisp fruit and veggies like apples, pears, cucumbers, carrots, and celery promotes saliva that neutralizes tooth-decaying acids in the mouth. These fibrous foods also stimulate blood flow to the gums, which helps keep them from receding.

5. Lean Proteins

Meat, fatty fish, poultry, and tofu contain protein and phosphorus. These are necessary for restoring minerals in the tooth enamel normally stripped away by acids.      

6. Tea

Tea is rich in antioxidants that can combat plaque. However, if you’re drinking tea, make it unsweetened since sugar raises mouth acidity that exacerbates tooth enamel erosion.

7. Water

When you're thirsty, try to avoid flavored drinks. Drinking water is probably the easiest way to improve your dental hygiene, as it washes away leftover food particles, sugars, and acids from your teeth. It also keeps your mouth hydrated, preventing bad breath.

Adding these foods and drinks to your diet will facilitate good dental hygiene, but regular dental checkups are also essential. For a lifetime of oral health, visit the clinic of William U. Britton DDS, MAGD. Dr. Britton and his team provide top-notch dental care to residents of Jackson and Chillicothe, OH, including biannual dental exams and cleanings, root canals, and emergency procedures. Call (740) 772-2225 to schedule an appointment or learn more about their services online.