Five Foods That Will Improve Your Smile

Powell dental care

As we covered in our blog last month, Powell dental care still very much matters. We encourage patients who still feel uncomfortable with the idea of visiting the dentist during COVID to reconsider whether they can postpone their regular trips to see Dr. Williams and the team at Frontier Family Dental. Now is not the time to skip visiting the dentist.

When we neglect our oral health, harmful oral bacteria begin to buildup in the mouth that contribute to the development of tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss. Since gum disease is a chronic infection, our immune systems become weaker when trying to constantly fight off the swelling and inflammation diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis cause. During a pandemic, we need our immune systems functioning at full strength so that if we contract the virus our bodies are healthy enough to fight it off.

Clean teeth equal less bacteria in the mouth. Fortunately, there are a number of foods we can eat that work to actively improve our oral health. Whether providing our bodies with extra vitamins to strengthen tooth enamel or working to eradicate bacteria from the surface of our teeth, a diet full of a few choice foods can go a long way towards helping to improve our health overall.

Let’s take a look at some of the foods best suited for creating a healthy mouth.

Apple

At our Powell dental care office, we think of apples as nature’s toothbrush. In fact, all crisp fruits and raw vegetables like celery, carrots, and apples work to remove plaque deposits from the surface of our teeth. They also help to reduce cavity-causing bacteria while also increasing saliva flow.

When you bite into an apple, the water and rough texture of the fruit works to wash your teeth clean of any bacteria that might linger. Since fruits and veggies consist mostly of water, they also help to flush harmful bacteria out of the mouth. So, eating these types of items work to scrub and rinse your teeth. That’s why they’re known as nature’s toothbrush.

Strawberries

Strawberries contain a whitening enzyme known as malic acid that can do wonders for the state of your smile. If an apple is like nature’s toothbrush, then strawberries get the title of nature’s whitening strips.

In fact, you can even rub strawberries directly onto the surface of your teeth to help remove stains. Just mash the strawberry up into a paste or puree and then rub it on the surface of your teeth. Leave the strawberry paste on your teeth for a few minutes before rinsing out your mouth.

Bananas

When discussing which types of fruits offer the biggest benefit to our long-term oral health, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the banana. This favorite fruit is absolutely loaded with a variety of amazing minerals that include manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Eating a banana a day can do a lot to help improve your oral and overall health.

Even the peel of a banana has some appeal. If you rub your teeth with the inside of a banana peel for two minutes a day for two weeks, you’ll achieve a brighter, whiter smile.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes offer a rich source of vitamins, which works to protect our enamel from the effects of harmful oral bacteria. Plaque works to strip our teeth from the vital nutrients it contains, thereby weakening enamel and increasing our risk for cavities. Fortunately, we can reverse the effects of plaque through a process known as remineralization.

By eating nutrient rich foods like sweet potatoes, we can work to restore some of the nutrients our enamel has lost to plaque attacks. This will make our teeth stronger and more resilient in the future.

Cranberries

The first “superfood,” cranberries have a long and distinguished reputation as being one of the healthiest items we can eat. Research has shown that cranberries can help to lower our risk of everything from urinary tract infections to some forms of cancer. Recent studies have also found that cranberries can even help to prevent tooth decay.

According to researchers, cranberries interrupt the bonding of oral bacteria to the surface of our teeth. If bacteria can’t cling to our teeth, it cannot buildup to create a layer of plaque. Less plaque equals a healthier mouth, which makes cranberries a worthy inclusion to any diet.