Did you know that celebrating National Nutrition Month every March can help improve your smile? It’s true! Everyone knows that eating too much sugar will give you cavities. However, swapping those empty calories for certain smile-friendly snacks can strengthen your gums, rebuild your teeth, and boost your oral health! Add these healthy foods to your daily diet this month and set yourself up for a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles!

CRUNCHY RAW VEGETABLES

Vegetables are brimming with a garden variety of vitamins and nutrients that can be used throughout your entire body. You’ll be hard pressed to find a vegetable that’s bad for you, but some are better for your oral health than others. For instance, snacking on raw vegetables is an excellent, natural way to reduce your risk of tooth decay.

Vegetables that are high in fiber gently scrub your teeth as you chew them, brushing away any lingering plaque or food particles to prevent cavities from forming. They typically require extra chewing and contain a lot of water as well, which encourages saliva production and continues to wash off your pearly whites. A few tasty examples include cucumbers, carrots, and celery.

DAIRY PRODUCTS AND LEAN PROTEINS

It’s well known that calcium helps strengthen your bones, but they’re important for healthy teeth as well. While your tooth enamel can’t repair itself, it can absorb calcium from the foods you eat and use it to strengthen your teeth. Additionally, calcium fortifies your jawbone and reinforces the connective tissues that hold your pearly whites in place. Pairing this important mineral with a vitamin called phosphorus maximizes its effectiveness throughout your body.

When choosing dairy products, be sure to pick low-fat or nonfat varieties of milk, cheese, and yogurt. However, calcium can also be found in tofu, canned salmon, almonds, and dark, leafy greens. Phosphorus is contained in many foods, including lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and beans.

GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN C

Increasing your intake of vitamin C is a tried and true method of boosting your immune system. This is a great way to fight off infections throughout your body, including your gums. If your gum tissue isn’t healthy, the bacteria in the plaque and tartar in your mouth can cause an infection. This is known as gum disease, and it can cause permanent damage and tooth loss if left untreated. Thankfully, great oral hygiene and eating plenty of vitamin C can protect your gums against harmful bacteria.

This important nutrient is well-known for being found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and pineapples. However, these delicious fruits are highly acidic as well, which could damage your teeth if consumed in excess. Balance out your sources of vitamin C by eating more broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe as well.

Better oral health may be as close as your kitchen! Eating more of these healthy foods is a natural, delicious way to improve your smile and observe National Nutrition Month!

ABOUT THE PRACTICE

Our talented team of dentists at Breckinridge Dental & Orthodontics in Richardson, TX isn’t just focused on fixing dental problems after they’ve happened. With regular checkups twice a year and practical at-home oral hygiene tips, they hope to help prevent them from developing in the first place. They use state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge techniques to ensure that every single appointment is as efficient and comfortable as possible, whether you’re getting a simple cleaning or periodontal therapy. If you’d like to learn more about healthy foods for your teeth, feel free to contact them via their website or at (972) 248-9119.