The Best Foods For Your Teeth… And The Worst

Excerpt: Food plays an integral role in the health of your teeth, if someone has an unhealthy diet, then their teeth will almost surely suffer the consequences.

Posted on: October 29, 2021

Food plays an integral role in the health of your teeth, if someone has an unhealthy diet, then their teeth will almost surely suffer the consequences. Let’s look at what foods can have a positive impact on your teeth, and more importantly, which ones will hurt them.

What Makes Food Good For Teeth?

Generally speaking, good foods for teeth are low in sugar and starch, these foods also shouldn’t dry out your mouth. Saliva is an important part of having a healthy oral ecosystem. Other factors include foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals and non-sticky foods. If you have sticky foods they may get stuck between your teeth resulting in a mouth that may be more difficult to clean.

What Makes Food Bad For Teeth?

The exact opposite of the previous section. Bad foods for your teeth are sticky, hard, sweet & starchy foods. These foods will often result in plaque and tartar buildup since the bacteria in your mouth are more likely to create acids that are bad for your teeth with these foods. Sugar itself doesn’t actually harm your teeth, the bacteria that eats the sugar produce the acid that is harmful.

Which Foods are good For Teeth?

Here are a few food groups you should prioritize if you want to eat an optimal diet for your teeth.

Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables – Foods with fiber help keep your teeth and gums clean.
Cheese, milk, plain yogurt, and other dairy products – The calcium and phosphates in milk, cheese, and other dairy products, help put minerals back into your teeth might have lost due to other foods. They also help rebuild tooth enamel.
Green and black teas – These teas both contain polyphenols that interact with plaque bacteria. These substances either kill or hold back bacteria. This prevents bacteria from growing or making acid that attacks teeth. Depending on the type of water you use to brew your tea, a cup of tea can also be a source of fluoride.
Sugarless chewing gum – This is a great saliva maker that removes food particles from your mouth.
Foods with fluoride – Fluoridated drinking water, or any product you make with fluoridated water, helps your teeth. This includes powdered juices (as long as they don’t contain a lot of sugar) and dehydrated soups. Commercially prepared foods, such as poultry products, seafood, and powdered cereals, also can give fluoride.

What are bad foods for your teeth?

Sticky candies and sweets – These foods are terrible since the high sugar content feeds the bacteria which produces acid. If you eat these foods make sure to brush and floss right away.
Starchy foods that can get stuck in your mouth – Foods that get stuck are harder to clean. This means the longer it stays in your mouth the more likely it is that you’ll get plaque buildup.
Carbonated soft drinks – Same as candies & sweets, regular soft drinks have loads of sugar per drink, and the carbonation may also promote decay.
Substances that dry out your mouth – Saliva helps digest the food, and it will help keep your mouth clean.

So what should you do about it?

Virtually no-one eats perfect all year around, even pro athletes, body-builder, and yes Instagram models, don’t always look like they do when you them at their best. Go ahead and treat yourself with the fun foods and don’t feel guilty about, just keep in mind that you should eat mostly good food. If you stick to a diet of 80% “healthy” (lean protein, vegetables, fruits, etc.), and 20% “treat food” (pizza, chocolate, candy, pop), you’ll be above average.