Can your diet hurt your teeth?

With masks being the normal mode of life nowadays we are all starting to notice our breath and our dental hygiene a lot more.  It is common that everyone knows that brushing your teeth regularly and flossing is a great way to boost dental hygiene.  It is also pretty well know that getting rid of sugars and food particles that cause bacteria to form plaque is a big part of brushing.  Plaque actually creates acid that builds up and is the reason we get damage to our tooth enamel. This in turn then causes cavities and sets the preverbal stage for the dreaded gum disease.  So what are some extra steps we can take to help our mouth take care of itself?  We all know thanks to the internet that there are lots of good foods that research has suggested can help aid us in this task and I wanted to just go over a little bit here.

So let's start with a simple one and that is to change some liquids in your diet.  There is one great way to help keep your mouth healthy and that is to drink tea.  Tea especially black and green teas are loaded with polyphenols which can help slow the growth of bacteria. That is a huge protection for your mouth.  This in term helps slow the creation of cavities and gum disease.  So taking the time to boil some water and drop in a bag of tea can be more than just a yummy treat.  It can actually help your health.  Nowadays it is much easier than boiling water in the kettle.  There are really nice and easy electric kettles that can boil water in seconds not minutes and get you right on the healthy path super fast!  It is shown that rinsing your mouth with black tea for I minutes 10 times a day had less plaque buildup on their teeth than people who just rinsed with water. There are a few studies on this and you can find them pretty easily with a quick google search. It also reduced the plaque that they already had and made it easier to brush off.  So drinking a cup of tea can be a very big boost to your dental health and that is what I have done in my life.

Now let's get into a real food item. Food that can help your dental health is rather surprising to find and is totally worth it. GUes what it is actually cheese.  A study done by a regular dental paper found that teenagers who eat cheddar cheese ended up with fewer acid levels in their mouth than those who ate yogurt or drank milk.  After the test, each teen would rinse their mouths with water and then measured them at different intervals.  The cheese was found to lower acid and neutralize plaque acid and that is something we all need. Especially if you have acid reflux. That is a killer on your teeth and the more you can keep that away the better..  So the next time you are at the grocery store, yes practice social distancing but also pick up a brick or a package of cheddar cheese.  Chewing a little bit of this can really help bring those acid levels down and keep you from visiting the dentists nearly as much.  Watch what you eat and think about your health of your mouth when you go shopping.