Nutritional Tips for Good Oral Health

Nutritional Tips for Good Oral Health

* Maintain a healthy and balanced diet centered on moderation and variety. Select foods from each of the five major food groups (breads, cereals and other grain products; fruits; vegetables; meat, poultry, fish and beans; and milk and dairy products).
* Keep a food diary for a week. Record every item you eat and drink, especially ones that contain sugar. Compare your dietary entries to the food pyramid recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by visiting mypyramid.gov.
* Avoid “fad diets” that limit or eliminate entire food groups, which usually result in vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
* Drink plenty of water. This keeps your mouth moist and helps to wash away loose food particles.
* Limit the number of snacks between meals. Remember that each time you eat foods that contain sugar, your teeth are bombarded with acids for 20 minutes or more.
* Keep your consumption of foods containing free sugars to a maximum of four times a day.
* If you must snack, opt for healthy foods that are low in sugar and do not stick to your teeth. Cheese, raw vegetables, nuts, plain yogurt or a piece of fruit are good choices.
* find a local dentistWhen you eat fermentable carbohydrates like crackers, cookies and chips, eat them as part of your meal, instead of by themselves. Combinations of foods neutralize acids in the mouth and inhibit tooth decay.
* Drinking soda at meal times is less harmful to your teeth than drinking it alone; continuously sipping soda over time is more harmful than drinking the entire can of soda at once. To help reduce the amount of soda that comes into direct contact with your teeth, try drinking with a straw.