Short of getting into a fight or knock your teeth out during an auto accident, there’s no excuse for losing a tooth. In fact, instead of looking for an excuse, you should be acknowledging the fact that your tooth loss is most likely your own fault. Do you eat sugary foods in excess? Do you fail to care for your teeth and gum? If so, then tooth loss is inevitable (if it has not already occurred). Want to keep all your teeth until your six feet under? Keep reading to learn how.
The next time you stuff a donut into your mouth, think about this: sugar is the catalyst for tooth decay and eventual tooth loss. The more sugar you eat, the more likely you’ll encounter dental problems at some point in your lifetime. While sugar is not a direct contributor to plaque buildup, it’s a vital part of the bacteria food chain that results in the production of plaque.
A human’s mouth is loaded with bacteria. Some of those bacteria are good bacteria, and some of it is quite nasty. In fact, it’s believed that a bite from a human being is actually more infectious than a bite than a stray dog or feral cat. That’s right: if you bite another person and break their skin, the bacteria you infect them with are more dangerous than any bacteria they can get from a dog bite!
The bacteria in our mouths feed on one thing: sugar! The byproduct produced by bacteria feeding on sugar is an acid substance that erodes your tooth enamel. That substance is called plaque. If you want to avoid plaque buildup, the first line of defense is to simply stop eating sugary foods.
Do you know what kinds of foods are loaded with sugar? Here is a short list: donuts, pastries, muffins, sodas, and candy bars. Most people associate those food types with sugar-filled treats that should be avoided. However, they are not the only foods that promote tooth decay. Surprisingly, there are quite a few common foods that will also promote plaque buildup: milk, any types of grain product, and certain types of vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots.
If sugar is the necessary precursor for plaque buildup, can you guess what type of foods is best for your oral health? Non-sugary foods are ideal for assisting in oral hygiene. Those food types will include most vegetables, meats, and even cheese. The more you can eat those types of foods and avoid sucking down sodas and stuffing your face with donuts, the better off your oral health will be in the long run.
Do you have superhuman discipline? Can you simply avoid sugary foods for the remainder of your life? If you’re like the everyday, average person, avoiding sugary foods for an eternity is an impossible goal. Instead of trying to follow a perfect diet, it’s best to simply eat sugary foods in moderation and visit your dentist for teeth cleaning every few months.
Avoiding sugary foods is just the first step towards maintaining ideal oral health. You’ll need to visit your local dentist and follow his recommended teeth cleaning routine. You’ll probably need to visit him every three or four months, and he’ll probably want to take x-rays as well. While it will certainly cost a little money to maintain your dental health, your dentist is not a professional service you want to avoid.
Snacking between meals is bad for your teeth. Most people assume the reasoning for that old axiom relates to eating snack-type foods that are loaded with sugar. Not true. The reason why snack between meals is bad for your teeth may surprise you: when you eat small meals, your mouth does not produce much saliva, and saliva is one of your natural defenses to plaque prevention. Large meals, such as dinner and breakfast, usually equate to large amounts of saliva production. The more saliva your mouth produces, the more plaque production gets constructed.
Do you know the two most common diseases in modern society? Surprisingly, they are found in the human mouth. They are tooth decay and gum disease. The only way to avoid acquitting either of those diseases is to maintain a healthy diet that promotes oral health and to visit your dentist for routine teeth cleaning.
A poor diet not only results in tooth decay, but it’s also a catalyst for a weak immune system. Several studies have shown that a weak immune system correlates strongly with a poor diet. If keeping your teeth for your entire life is not enough incentive to eat a healthy diet, then maintaining a strong immune system as an added benefit should be enough to make you rethink the types of food you cram down your throat.
Last but certainly not least, water consumption plays a vital role in oral health. The more water you consume, the more saliva your mouth produces. Dehydration leads to restricted saliva production, and as stated above, saliva is a natural defense against plaque production. Drink your daily allotment of water!
Before you make any drastic dietary changes, it’s always advisable to speak with a licensed health professional in your state for more information. Do not interpret this article as a medical advice because it was not written by a doctor! Good luck with your oral hygiene!
Featured Image: Promenade Dentistry
Source by Johnny Blackburn