You may be familiar with the phrase, “You are what you eat.” This implies that the foods in your diet can play a major role in your overall health, and this holds true for your smile as well.
Consuming certain foods or a deficiency in some nutrients could weaken your teeth and cause dental problems. Eventually, if your teeth suffer enough structural damage, the teeth could fall out.
Missing teeth can leave you with many complications, so you should strive to preserve your natural smile for as long as you can. This means sticking to a balanced and nutritious diet and prioritizing oral healthcare. Read on to find three tips from your dentist related to your diet that can reduce your risk for tooth loss.
Limit Acidic Foods and Drinks
Your teeth have a hard outer layer called enamel that serves as a shield to the more vulnerable interior of your teeth. This way, you can chew and tear into food without worrying about hurting your teeth. But enamel is not indestructible.
Over time, the enamel might wear down. Your diet can be the reason behind this dental damage in some cases. Once enamel erodes, it will not regrow. This leaves your teeth weaker and in greater danger of bacterial penetration that can cause tooth decay.
Severe decay can lead to enough deterioration of dental health that you may lose one or more teeth. So you should preserve your dental structure as well as you can. This means paying attention to your diet to limit enamel erosion.
Acidic foods and beverages, like citrus fruits and juices, will transfer acid to the mouth, which can then cause enamel to erode. Sugar becomes acidic in your mouth and can then cause this same type of dental damage. Try to reduce the amount of acidic food items in your diet to protect your smile.
Consume Plenty of Calcium
Calcium is the primary component of your enamel. So if you consume plenty of calcium in your diet, you can keep your teeth strong enough to resist many dental problems. Alternatively, if you do not have enough calcium, your body will draw on its own stores, such as in the teeth, to make up for this lack.
This can leave your teeth significantly weakened to the point that they may fall out. Include calcium-rich foods like dairy products, almonds, or leafy green vegetables in your diet to avoid this issue.
Be Careful When Eating Crunchy Foods
Strong, healthy enamel will withstand everyday wear and tear from biting and chewing usually. But under high amounts of pressure, enamel could chip or crack. This dental injury can make your teeth vulnerable to further harm. But a deep fracture in a tooth may require a dental extraction to prevent additional damage.
So if you want to avoid tooth breakage as well as missing teeth, be careful when you eat hard or crunchy foods. An awkward bite or biting into a hard-textured item can break a tooth. This will require urgent restorative dental treatment to fix. So you should reduce your risk of this injury in the first place by taking precautions as you eat.