The human body is a complex machine with lots of interdependencies. Your overall health and wellbeing depends on your mental health, physical condition and the quality of the fuel you provide it.
Much like a sports car, the better quality fuel the better performance the car delivers. The body is the same. Feed it well, provide the nutrition it needs and it will provide decades of loyal service. Feed it badly and you’re going to have problems.
Tooth decay and diet
The main dental challenge with a poor diet comes from tooth decay. The bacteria that lives in our mouth feeds on the food we eat. As the bacteria digests this food it produces acids which eat away at tooth enamel and emit gases that cause bad breath.
The more sugar you eat, the more bacteria there is. The more bacteria there is in your mouth, the more acid is produced. This acid attacks tooth enamel which can result in tooth decay. Tooth decay is the single most common dental challenge there is. It’s also entirely preventable.
Good diet equals good teeth
As holistic dentists, we are well aware of the interdependencies of our body’s systems. We appreciate that putting good food in results in your body working better, more efficiently and suffering fewer ailments.
We always recommend lots of fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced diet. While fruit does contain acids that can attack teeth, they also contain lots of water to dilute that acid. Vegetables do the same. Cheese and dairy products are known to lower the acid pH of your mouth, which also lowers the risk of tooth decay.
Meat and nuts can also contribute the minerals necessary to maintain healthy teeth and by providing calcium and phosphorous which are needed to replace tooth enamel.
So as you can see, proper nutrition has a real impact on your oral health and can significantly influence how healthy your teeth and gums are. This is just one of the many systems benefitted by a good diet.
Checking your food sensitivities at the cellular level using specialized testing can also have great benefits!
If you would like more information on foods that benefit your teeth or advice on balanced diets, contact Aesthetic Family Dentistry today. We’re here to help!
