Improve your dental health with these foods

09 January, 2013

We tend to think that brushing alone is good for our dental health, but rarely do we realize that the food we eat also has an impact on the oral health. Let us take a look at the foods that help to keep our teeth healthy.

APPLE, CARROTS and celery are called dental detergents; such crunchy fruits and vegetables increase the flow of cleansing saliva, giving your mouth a fresh feeling. Be sure that the fruit you choose to eat between the meals is not high in acidic content, as it can be hard on your tooth enamel.

Milk and milk products are also a great option. Milk reduces acid from other foods and hence prevents the tooth decay and also the sugar found in milk is not harmful for teeth and satisfies our hunger. Drinking milk after a meal really helps to keep your teeth white and prevents them from staining.

Citrus fruits like oranges and sweet lime also help in maintaining dental health. As vitamin C present in citrus fruits reduces inflammation and risk of gingivitis, it also strengthens the connective tissue that holds teeth in jaw.

Include fresh onion slices in your food, as raw onions have powerful antibacterial properties, but the bad part of it is after eating raw onion you will end up with killer breath.

Strawberries can be directly rubbed on to your teeth to whiten them. An enzyme present in the strawberries called malic acid is responsible for this effect and it also acts as an astringent. But clean your teeth immediately after rubbing with strawberries, as the acid and sugar present in them can damage your teeth.

We all think that sweets are not good for teeth, but we do need to have sweets, but avoid grazing it for extended periods. Consuming too much of tea or coffee for long period of time can considerably stain your teeth. You may want to reduce the consumption. Apart from regular brushing make sure that you include all this in your diet and have shining pearly white teeth, reported Indiainteracts.