Even with a busy summer planned, how can you keep your smile bright and healthy? Here are a few essential tips to maintain your oral health on the go!

Drink Plenty of Water

Staying hydrated isn’t just beneficial for your body—it’s excellent for your smile too! Drinking water helps flush food particles out of your mouth and prevent them from sticking to your teeth, which can lead to plaque formation and tooth enamel damage.

Drinking water also supports hydration, which prevents dry mouth. Your saliva plays a crucial role in protecting your teeth from bacteria, so preventing dry mouth goes a long way towards keeping your breath fresh, your teeth clean, and your smile healthy [1]!

Use Sugarless Gum

If you’re traveling this summer and aren’t in your regular routine or forget to brush your teeth, sugarless gum is immensely helpful. Chewing sugar-free gum increases saliva production, and saliva acts as a buffer between your teeth and harmful bacteria. Chewing sugarless gum can actually help prevent cavities while keeping your breath fresh [2].

Excellent for after meals or those rushed mornings when you forget to brush your teeth, keeping sugarless gum handy is a great way to support your oral health on the go!

Pack Healthy Snacks

What you eat can influence your oral health just as much as your brushing and flossing routine.

By skipping sugary foods and drinks, you can help keep your teeth healthy this summer. When going on a trip or even for your snack at work, pack healthy choices such as apples, carrots, and celery. These crunchy foods have a high water content and can help hydrate you while reducing plaque formation on your teeth throughout the day [3].

Healthy summer treats to enjoy this season include melon such as cantaloupe and watermelon, blueberries, homemade frozen yogurt, blackberries, and apricots!

Don’t Neglect Your Brushing and Flossing!

Although each of these activities is excellent for your smile, they should never replace your home care habits for your teeth and gums. You should still brush twice a day and floss once a day, and continue to keep your regular checkups with your dentist.

What do you have planned for this summer? Whether you’re going on a vacation or staying put for a staycation, keep your smile healthy during this busy time of year with the above tips!

Sources:
1. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/nutrition/food-tips/water-best-beverage
2. https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/chewing-gum
3. http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/info/books-

The post Keeping Your Smile Healthy This Summer (On the Go!) appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

The category of harmful foods is larger than you might think, and includes some common food items you didn’t know could hurt your teeth. What are some major offenders when it comes to foods that can damage your smile?

Olive Pits

Olives are in a category of foods called drupes, which include any food that has a stone-like seed in its center. Other examples of drupes include cherries, peaches, plums, and nectarines.

It comes as no surprise that olive pits, and indeed other types of drupe pits, can seriously damage teeth. While some olives come pitted, others are left with their pit intact, and unsuspecting eaters can chomp down on the seed without realizing it.

The pits in your olives can actually damage the connective tissue of your teeth, giving you what’s called a bruised tooth, which can lead to a toothache [1].

Caramels

Caramels have long been known as an offender of oral health. Their sticky texture and their sugar content is the culprit—not only can this substance stick to teeth, but contribute to tooth decay as well.

Whether you’re enjoying a caramel candy or a caramel apple, it’s smart to exercise caution when consuming this treat. Any type of sticky food can stay on your teeth longer than other types of foods, increasing the chances that it’ll cause damage to your tooth enamel [2].

In addition, caramel can even loosen fillings and other types of dental restorations. It’s best to chew softer caramel products, and keep your consumption of this food to a minimum!

Frozen Food

Did you know that certain types of frozen food can be damaging to your teeth? This is especially true for foods that are designed to be consumed frozen, such as candy or ice cream bars (frozen caramel can be particularly bad!).

If you enjoy consuming frozen treats, it’s best to wait until they soften up at least somewhat, and to help minimize the effects of sugar on your teeth, always drink water during and after eating these items.

Breads

As one of the most popular foods around the world, bread is a surprising item that can hurt your teeth. Harder breads such as baguettes can be particularly crispy, and can damage teeth and gums, especially teeth that have an existing dental restoration.

However, soft breads aren’t in the clear either—some softer breads can stick to teeth, leading bacteria to attack tooth enamel [3]. The healthiest breads for your teeth include whole wheat and sprouted kinds.

Have you ever damaged your teeth from any of these foods? Exercise caution when enjoying drupes, and always eat sugary or frozen treats in moderation. And don’t forget—breads are culprits too when it comes to foods that can hurt your smile!

Sources:
1. https://www.healthline.com/health/bruised-tooth
2. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/nutrition/food-tips/9-foods-that-damage-your-
3. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=4062

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Brushing and flossing are great, but what about the foods your child eats? Diet hugely impacts oral health. Having your kids eat the right foods and develop healthy snacking habits can not only help protect their smile from tooth decay, but strengthen it to be healthy for life.

Here are some of the top teeth-friendly foods your child is sure to love!

Fruits and Veggies

Of course, not all children are keen on vegetables. However, you can try to incorporate as much of them into their diet as you can. Here are some snack ideas to try to get your child to eat more fruits and vegetables that are healthy for their teeth!

Baby carrots and hummus. Experiment with different kinds of hummus such as sundried tomato, roasted red pepper, or make your own!

Celery and cream cheese. You can make your own creations by adding raisins, sunflower seeds, or blueberries to the cream cheese on the celery.

Fresh sliced fruit. Try different kinds of fruit to see what your child likes. Watermelon, pineapple, grapes, pears, and oranges are all fun choices.

Apple with peanut butter. Get your child’s favorite kind of apple and serve with peanut butter. If your child is allergic to peanuts, you can try almond butter or sunflower seed butter.

Try Seeds and Nuts

Seeds and nuts are not only fun to eat, but are also full of healthy fats that are excellent for your child’s brain and skin. Some great choices to have on hand include:

Almonds
Walnuts
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Cashews
Brazil nuts
Pecans

Nuts are also easy to take with you and don’t need to be refrigerated, so you can easily take them along for a snack after sports or send with your child to school.

Yogurt and Cheese

Dairy is rich in calcium and vitamin D, two important nutrients for your child’s smile. You can serve cheese with fruit or vegetables for added appeal, and yogurt always makes a great snack.

Choose yogurt that’s unsweetened, as some sweetened yogurts can contain as much sugar as a can of soda! You can buy unsweetened and add your own goodies, such as homemade granola, fresh fruit, or honey if your child likes a bit of sweetness.

Yogurt also makes a great dessert choice instead of ice cream—try frozen yogurt treats or make your own at home for a fun activity with your child. If your child is lactose intolerant, you can still enjoy coconut milk or soy milk yogurt.

When it comes to getting your child to eat healthy, there are so many foods out there to try. Sugar is best enjoyed in moderation, so you can substitute natural sugars such as those in fruit whenever you like. Enjoy these foods and choose to eat healthy to build strong smiles for your kids!

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