Continuing from our last post, Improve Your Oral Health With These Foods, we will be going over 4 more foods that can help to improve your overall oral health. 

Ideally, you want to avoid food that combines high sugars, acid and stickiness. When you eat food that is high in sugar and acid, you’re not only feeding yourself, but the plaque that can wreak chaos inside your mouth. The resulting acids from the combination of sugars and plaque can attack your teeth for up to 20 minutes after you are finished eating!

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, and low in both sugar and acid. This makes it an ideal choice. Even more, cheese contains a protein called casein, which is found in milk and is very useful in fortifying the surface of teeth.

Sugar-Free Gum brands such as B-Fresh, Spry, Xponent, Xylichew and Trident all contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener. Note that not all sugar-free gum contain xylitol. Unlike other artificial sweeteners, xylitol prevents the bacteria in plaque from metabolizing sugar, acting more like an “anti-sugar” than a sugar substitute. Regular sugar can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, while xylitol fights against them. Gum even helps to remove bacteria and plaque from your teeth.

Tap Water, more often than not, contains optimal levels of fluoride which helps to prevent tooth decay. The reason for this is simple; fluoride helps to remineralize teeth, reversing the harmful effects of acid, which works away enamel. Most bottled water doesn’t contain enough active fluoride to have any benefit. 

Pears help to stimulate saliva reproduction, like all high fiber containing fresh fruit. Pears are a great option, as they have a larger neutralizing effect on acid than other types of fruit, such as apples, bananas, mandarins and pineapples.

Yogurt, just like cheese, is another excellent source of casein, calcium and also phosphates that help to remineralize teeth, the same as fluoride does. This makes it another ideal candidate for fighting against cavities. 

For even more on foods that can help to improve your oral health, visit the Huffington Post. Don’t forget to schedule your next appointment by calling our office in Sidney, Ohio.