By checking your food’s nutrition label, you can make healthier choices to have a radiant smile. What exactly should you look for on the nutrition label to protect and even nourish your teeth and gums?

Check for Sugar

We all know how damaging sugar can be to our teeth. Sugar can wear away tooth enamel and cause cavities and tooth sensitivity.

Typical foods that have sugar include sodas, candy, breads, and other processed foods. However, sugar can be hiding in foods such as yogurt, tomato sauce, and salad dressings. The label should tell you how many grams of sugar are in a product. Women should have no more than 25 grams a day (six teaspoons) and men should have no more than 37.5 grams a day (nine teaspoons) [1].

Eat Foods Rich in Calcium and Vitamin D

On most nutrition labels, there’s a section for percent daily values (DV). This section will tell you what percentage of nutrients you’re getting from the food.

Teeth need a diet rich in vitamins and minerals to remain strong and healthy. Looking for foods that have higher percentages of calcium and vitamin D can help you maintain a radiant smile.

Examples of these foods include wild-caught salmon, which can have 988 IU of vitamin D per ounce, wild mushrooms, and even fortified soy milk [2]. For foods high in calcium, cooked beans, almonds, and dark leafy greens top the charts. If you eat dairy, milk and hard cheeses are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin D as well.

Look for Foods with Vitamin A, C, and K2

All of these vitamins play a vital role in your dental health. Vitamin A and C help protect your smile from infection such as that which is present in gum disease. Vitamin A can also encourage healthy saliva production to buffer teeth from acids and bacteria. Vitamin C is essential for maintaining gum health.

But what about vitamin K2? Chances are you haven’t heard of this one.

Vitamin K2 is found in animal products such as liver, eggs, butter, chicken, beef, and even lamb. However, if you follow a plant-based diet, you can also get vitamin K2 from sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, and hard cheeses. Vitamin K2 can protect against tooth decay and help teeth repel bacteria and stay strong [3].

Don’t Discount the Importance of Fats

Fats have gotten a bad reputation in the past. But the truth is that not all fats are bad. The right kinds of fats are actually essential to fight inflammation. These include oils such as olive oil and flaxseed oil. Even saturated fats—eaten in moderation, of course—aren’t as bad as experts once thought. Unrefined saturated fats such as coconut oil and butter can help reduce inflammation, unlike refined oils that promote inflammation, such as canola, soybean, and corn oil [4].

Eating Right for Your Teeth

You can help protect your teeth and promote a beautiful smile by continuing your regular oralcare habits but also by eating healthy. When you regularly check the nutrition label on the food products you buy, you empower yourself to make smart choices for your smile!

Sources:
1. http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/the-growing-concern-of-overconsumption.html#.XD0bYc9Kgxc
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2698592/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566462/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4382606/

The post Want a Radiant Smile? Check Out Your Food’s Nutrition Label appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Dark Leafy Greens

Get ready for vegetables! Dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and collard greens are highly beneficial for your smile as well as your body. These vegetables are high in vitamins and minerals such as calcium and folic acid, which may help combat gum disease.

How to get: Try as a side dish with each meal, add a handful to a smoothie, or top your next pizza!

Yogurt

Yogurt is not only high in calcium, but contains probiotics, which are healthy bacteria that help nourish teeth and gums and may even help reduce cavities. If you’re lactose intolerant, you can choose coconut milk yogurt or almond milk yogurt instead. Just be sure to choose unsweetened yogurts, as some yogurts can have more sugar than candy!

How to get: Try yogurt as your new breakfast food or as dessert with fresh fruit on top. Yogurt also makes a great snack!

Crunchy Foods

No, we’re not talking about potato chips! These include fresh, raw foods such as apples, carrots, and celery. These crunchy, firm foods help your mouth produce more saliva, which helps balance your bacteria and protect teeth from cavities. These foods also help to actually clean your teeth by scrubbing them with their firm pieces.

How to get: These make excellent snacks and are so easy to take on the go! You can try apples with peanut butter and carrots and celery with hummus.

Green Tea

Although tea has a bad reputation for staining your teeth, green tea has actually been shown to be very beneficial for both teeth and gums. Its polyphenol content can help stop bad bacteria and reduce inflammation in the gums, meaning it may help fight gum disease.

How to get: Try green tea for breakfast instead of coffee, or enjoy iced in the afternoon with lunch!

Nuts

Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and even cashews are high in calcium and other trace minerals that nourish a healthy smile. These crunchy foods can also stimulate saliva production, making your mouth cleaner and healthier.

How to get: Nuts make an excellent snack and can also be used in salads and other dishes as a fun and interesting topping! You can help make your mouth a healthier place just by being choosy about what foods you eat.

These foods make the top of the list when it comes to nourishing your teeth and gums through your diet. By including more leafy greens, yogurt, green tea, and nuts in your diet along with crunchy vegetables and fruits for a snack can help your smile be brighter than ever!

The post The Dental Diet: How Nutrition Can Enhance Your Dental Health appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.