Is Health Food Healthy for Your Smile? Part Two

Welcome back for part two in our blog series about what certain health foods can do to your teeth. Sure, eating healthily is important, but just because a food provides health benefits to one part of your body doesn’t mean it won’t cause trouble for another.

Here in LA, Westwood Dental Smiles wants you to consider your oral health when planning a healthful diet. The state of your teeth has a great effect on the rest of your body, so ignoring oral health can have consequences for your overall health.

Red Wine

Red wine is a great example of a food that doesn’t seem like it would be good for you, but it is. Of course, if drank in excess red wine is not healthy at all, but in moderation red wine has been shown to fight heart disease. In fact, many doctors recommend drinking a glass of red wine a day as part of a heart healthy diet.

When it comes to your teeth, however, red wine poses the risk of staining. The dark pigment in red wine sticks to your enamel and darkens your teeth. Fortunately, this is an easy problem to fix. Simply chase your glass of red wine with a large glass of water. Another trick is to brush your teeth before you drink. Removing the plaque from the surface of your teeth will give the pigment from red wine less to stick to.

Black Coffee

Coffee has been shown to provide a variety of health benefits, from increasing energy levels to protecting against prostate cancer. A recent study even suggests that coffee may fight the bacteria that causes tooth decay. Of course, this really only applies to coffee that is free of cream and sweeteners because those additives put your teeth at risk.

Similar to red wine, coffee is a well-known teeth stainer. Coffee, too, contains dark pigments that give your teeth a dull yellow tint. In addition to staining, coffee is fairly high in acid, which can cause teeth sensitivity. To fight the acidity of coffee, you could eat a healthy snack high in fiber while enjoying your coffee. The act of chewing will generate saliva, which will neutralize the acid.

Vegan Diet

Some people choose a vegan diet for health reasons, and some do so for philosophical reasons. Whatever the reasons, vegans have one great concern when it come to their teeth, vitamin deficiency. Many vegans who never had a cavity in their lives before adopting the diet experience tooth decay after becoming vegan, and a lack of certain vitamins could be the reason why.

Vitamins K2 and A are two vitamins that are essential for healthy teeth, and unfortunately, these vitamins are hard to come by without eating animal products. If you are dedicated to a vegan diet, then you should consider a supplement for these vitamins to protect your teeth.

Juices

Drinking juices instead of meals is a form of dieting that is growing in popularity. It yields quick results, and still provides healthy nutrients. However, the healthfulness of these types of diets have been debated.

When it comes to your teeth, juice diets remove an essential component of oral health, and that is chewing. As we mentioned earlier, chewing your food generates saliva and saliva is an important part of fighting tooth decay. So having your meals without chewing them is not the best thing for your teeth.

Let Us Help

Westwood Dental Smiles wants you to have a healthy smile to go along with your healthy lifestyle. Visit our office in Los Angeles for regular cleanings and examinations. If your teeth have been stained by your food we can provide a teeth whitening solution that fits your needs. And if your smile just isn’t what you’d like it to be, we have several cosmetic dentistry options to get your smile into shape.

Call today to make an appointment!