Best and worst foods for your teeth | Health - Hindustan Times
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Best and worst foods for your teeth

ByParmita Uniyal
Nov 05, 2021 04:27 PM IST

While eating whole fruits and calcium-rich food could help clean your teeth naturally and provide them with essential nutrients, candies and soft drinks can cause tooth damage.

Your oral health depends a lot on your food choices. While sugar-laden food and eatables that stick to the teeth for long deteriorate your dental health, whole fruits, calcium and protein-rich foods and vegetables help in cleaning teeth, preventing cavities, as well as providing essential nutrients to your pearly whites.

Consuming a whole fruit like apple or an orange as a mid-meal snack on the other hand could boost your dental health by cleaning the teeth naturally.(Pinterest)
Consuming a whole fruit like apple or an orange as a mid-meal snack on the other hand could boost your dental health by cleaning the teeth naturally.(Pinterest)

So, if you have a sweet tooth but want to avoid tooth trouble, do not indulge in mini portions of desserts several times a day, instead have it in one go as higher frequency of sugary treats means increased risk of developing caries.

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Consuming a whole fruit like apple or an orange as a mid-meal snack on the other hand could boost your dental health by cleaning the teeth naturally. Similarly, having a calcium and protein-rich breakfast not only boosts your immunity and overall health but also your oral health.

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Dr Namrata Rupani, Founder & CEO Capture Life Dental Care shares the list of best and worst foods for your teeth.

Best foods for your teeth

Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables: Fruits are high on fibre and make sure they clean your teeth and gums naturally. They also provide a good workout for your jaw muscles. "This is the strongest natural protection against cavities and gum disease, aside from excellent home dental care," says Dr Rupani.

Dairy products: Foods that are rich in calcium are good for your tooth enamel, the hard outer shell of your tooth. "Milk, cheese, and other dairy items help restore minerals to the teeth that may have been lost due to other meals and also help repair tooth enamel," says the dentist.

Green and black teas: Both of these teas include polyphenols, which interact with plaque bacteria to either kill or prevent bacteria from developing or producing acid that destroys teeth. A cup of tea can be a source of fluoride depending on the kind of water used to boil it.

Worst foods for your teeth

Sweets and candies: Foods that remain stuck in your teeth for a long time could promote growth of bacteria. "If one like to have sweets, go for the ones that dissolve rapidly in the mouth and do not stick to the teeth and gums. Lollipops, caramels, and other refined sugar treats should be avoided at all costs," says Dr Rupani.

Starchy and sticky foods: Starchy foods can get lodged in the teeth. Soft slices of bread and potato chips are some examples. These sticky foods cause more damage as they break up into smaller particles that are difficult to remove from the teeth.

Soft drinks and carbonated beverages: Apart from being high in sugar, most soft drinks include phosphoric and citric acids, which erode tooth enamel and cause tooth damage.

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