Foods That Are Good for Your Teeth: A Dentist’s Guide To a Healthy Smile
Brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist for regular cleanings and checkups are essential habits. We all know these put you on the path to excellent dental health.
But what if we told you that the foods you eat can also go a long way towards giving you stronger, healthier teeth?
It’s true! With the right foods, you may be able to eat your way to a brighter smile.
Here we take a close-up look at some dentist-approved foods that are good for your teeth and gums, strengthen enamel, freshen breath, and fight tooth decay — while still satisfying your taste buds.
Table of Contents
- Why Nutrition Matters for Your Oral Health
- The Top 5 Foods That Are Good for Your Teeth and Gums
- Foods That Naturally Clean Your Teeth
- Foods That Are Not Good for Your Teeth
- Mint Dental Works: Supporting Your Smile Beyond the Plate
Why Nutrition Matters for Your Oral Health
Since everything you eat and drink touches your teeth, what you consume every day can make or break your smile. Why? It’s simple:
- Enamel needs fuel. Think of enamel as the armor for your teeth. Sugary and acidic foods can wear it down, but foods rich in calcium and minerals help keep it strong.
- Your gums want to be healthy. A diet with plenty of vitamins (like C and D) and antioxidants fights inflammation and helps your body defend against bacteria.
- Healthy choices make a healthy future. Over time, the right foods lower your risk for cavities and gum disease — and even support your overall health, from your heart to your immune system.
That’s why, at Mint Dental Works, we see your smile as an extension of your overall health. As your SE Portland dentist, you’ll appreciate our patient-first, holistic approach that’s about more than just your teeth. Contact us today to learn more about our fresh approach to dentistry.
The Top 5 Foods That Are Good for Your Teeth and Gums
#1: Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables
Crunchy fruits and veggies are great for dental health due to the amount of chewing they require. As you chew, these foods clean the surfaces of your teeth and gums and stimulate the flow of saliva, which also helps scrub away bacteria-causing food particles.
Tasty crunchy options include:
- Celery
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Apples
- Bell peppers
- Sugar snap peas
- Grapes
- Beets
- Jicama
These foods are also rich in some of the most essential minerals and vitamins for your mouth, including vitamin C and keratin.
#2: Green Leafy Vegetables
Not only are they super healthy, but leafy greens are also foods that are good for your teeth. They’re rich in calcium, folic acid, and a host of other important vitamins and minerals that your teeth and gums love.
These power-packed dental helpers include:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Lettuce, such as romaine, butterhead, and leaf
- Arugula
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens
- Swiss chard
- Bok choy
- Endive
- Ecarole
- Watercress
- Cabbage
- Beet greens
- Turnip green
- Dandelion greens
#3: Lean Proteins
Lean proteins are generally great sources of phosphorus, a mineral that may help keep your teeth from chipping easily. Some great lean protein options include:
- White fish, like cod, haddock, halibut, grouper, and tilapia
- Shellfish, including shrimp, crab, lobster, oysters, and scallops
- Canned fish such as canned tuna (packed in water) and salmon
- Bison and venison
- Pork, specifically lean cuts like tenderloin, center loin, and ham
- Lean beef, specifically cuts like sirloin, tenderloin, top round, eye of round, and ground beef that is at least 90% lean
#4: Nuts and Seeds
A study found that nuts offer numerous health benefits for your teeth. They are packed with tons of important tooth-building and protecting elements like calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus.
Especially beneficial nuts and seeds include:
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Peanuts
#5: Calcium-Rich Dairy Products
Do you love a slice of cheese or a cool glass of milk? If so, you can enjoy it knowing you’re doing your teeth a favor!
Cheese is a food that is good for your teeth for several reasons, including that it’s:
- Low in sugar
- High in calcium
- Rich in casein, a protein that helps fortify tooth enamel
- High in phosphate, which helps balance pH levels in your mouth and may preserve tooth enamel
It also requires a good amount of chewing, which increases saliva production and helps to wash away oral bacteria.
Milk is another wise choice for your teeth. It’s rich in calcium and can help reduce acid levels in your mouth, thereby fighting tooth decay.
Finally, yogurt is rich in calcium and probiotics that help protect against cavities, gum disease, and even bad breath — but be sure to choose the unsweetened varieties.
Foods That Naturally Clean Your Teeth
Fibrous Foods That Act Like a Toothbrush
We all know to brush our teeth twice a day, but you may not know that eating certain fruits and vegetables can give your teeth a quick in-between brushing.
Fibrous fruits and vegetables can help clean your teeth, stimulate your gums, and boost saliva production — all of which can neutralize the malic and citric acids left behind in your mouth.
Your options for fibrous foods include:
- Apples
- Pears
- Oranges
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Potatoes
- Cucumbers
Water as Your Best Defense
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate — we hear it all the time.
But did you know that drinking water not only keeps your body on the right track, but it’s beneficial because it rinses away stray food particles and neutralizes acids in your mouth?
Drinking water with fluoride acts as “nature’s cavity fighter,” and is one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do to help stay cavity-free.
Foods That Are Not Good for Your Teeth
Sugary Drinks and Snacks
It’s probably no surprise that sugary drinks and snacks are a no-go when it comes to choosing foods that are good for your teeth. The sugar they contain creates cavity-causing bacteria and can lead to a host of other physical maladies.
Avoid these foods and drinks for improved dental health:
- Soft drinks: Both diet and regular soft drinks contain phosphoric and citric acids that erode enamel. Regular soft drinks also contain sugar.
- Energy and sports drinks: These are loaded with sugar and acid and are often even more damaging to your teeth than soda.
- Sweetened coffee or tea: The sugar added to these drinks promotes decay and contains acidity and tannins that can stain your teeth.
- Fruit juices, including orange juice, apple juice, etc. The combination of natural sugars and high acidity in these common breakfast drinks can soften and wear down your dental enamel.
- Chewy or stick candy, such as caramel, gummies, and taffy: The high sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth, producing acid that erodes your enamel. Sticky candies cling to teeth longer, allowing the opportunity for even more damage.
- Hard candies, such as lollipops and peppermints, dissolve slowly, bathing your teeth in a constant wash of sugar, and biting into these candies can chip or crack your teeth.
- Chocolate, especially milk chocolate: This treat contains sugar that can lead to cavities.
Are you a huge fan of soft drinks or sugary snacks? The team at Mint Dental Works is committed to your smile and would be happy to guide you in the best brushing and flossing techniques to maintain a clean and healthy mouth.
Sticky and Starchy Foods
This one may surprise you, but sticky and starchy foods aren’t good for your teeth for a variety of reasons, including:
- They cling to the tooth surface, extending their contact with your enamel.
- They create a breeding ground for bacteria that produce cavity-causing acids.
- They break down into sugar and merge with your saliva to form a sticky paste.
This combination of factors can lead to the erosion of your tooth enamel and the development of cavities.
Avoid sticky and starchy foods, including:
- Chips
- Crackers
- Dried fruit, including raisins, figs, and dates
- White bread
- Pretzels
- Popcorn, whose kernels can crack your teeth, and husks can lodge themselves between your teeth and gums.
Alcohol and Coffee
The final culprits in the lineup of foods and drinks that aren’t good for your teeth are alcohol and coffee.
Coffee:
- Can stain your enamel, due to naturally occurring tannins
- Contains acid, which can weaken enamel and make teeth more prone to decay
- May dry out your mouth, impeding the washing away of food particles and neutralization of harmful acids
The sugar, flavored syrups, and creamers added to coffee also feed harmful bacteria and increase your risk for cavities.
Alcohol, including beer, wine, and cocktails:
- Is known for causing dry mouth, which decreases saliva flow and leaves your teeth more vulnerable to bacteria and acid
- Often has high acidity, which eats away at tooth enamel
- May be high in sugar (especially mixed drinks and some wines), which fuels bacteria that cause cavities
- May stain the enamel of your teeth (especially red wine)
Mint Dental Works: Supporting Your Smile Beyond the Plate
If you’re looking for a dentist with a comprehensive slate of services, compassion, and exceptional care, you’ve found it at Mint Dental Works.
Our progressive cosmetic, restorative, and preventative family dental practice provides the most comprehensive dentistry available — in a comfortable state-of-the-art facility that’s kind to the planet.
Our goal is to maintain the health of your teeth, improve your overall oral wellness, and provide you with a smile you’re proud to show off.
Contact the team at Mint Dental Works today to discover how pleasant a dental appointment can be!
The content in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.