I'm going to talk about how a diet can help prevent tooth cavities, gum disease and keep your teeth healthy.

Let's start with acidic foods, examples of some acidic foods would be things like lemons, oranges and coffee. And while citrus fruits are usually high in vitamin c and other nutrients, they can actually eat away at the outermost layer of your tooth and irritate your gums.

This is a problem because as you wear away your enamel, you're going to be more prone to tooth decay, tooth sensitivity and yellow teeth.

In fact, just recently I had a patient that loved sucking on lemons, almost every day. So, over time he actually wore away his teeth, almost all the way to the nerve of the tooth. And he started having a lot of severe pain.

Now, he needs some major dental work to correct the problem and get him feeling comfortable.

How can you protect your teeth?

So, how can you protect your teeth? If you are going to be eating or drinking acidic things.

First, if I'm going to brush my teeth after eating something acidic, I always wait at least 30 minutes, this is because the acid actually softens your enamel a little bit. So, if you brush your teeth right after, that can actually cause damage to the teeth over time.

What food is good for teeth and gums?

So, what should you eat instead? I always try to balance out my meal with something not acidic such as water or vegetables, things like that in the morning. If I'm having a cup of coffee, I always try to balance that out with something like toast or oatmeal or non-sugary cereal.

Sugary Foods

Next, let's talk about sugary foods.

Sugar in your diet is obviously one of the leading cause of cavities, that's why we always recommend you limit how much candy and soda you consume. And the reason why, is that the bacteria living your mouth love sugar. They basically consume the sugar and then produce acid. This acid then leads to the breakdown of your enamel, making you more prone to tooth decay.

In fact, this acid can actually attack your teeth for 20 minutes or longer after you finish eating. The bacteria can also cause breakdown of your gums and your bone leading to gum disease. Not all sugary foods are as obvious as candy and cookies.

Some other examples of sugary foods can be fruits, jams, alcohol, cereal, sugary fruit juices and of course soda. If you do eat something with sugar, I always recommend to my patients that they then rinse with water afterwards. This just helps clear away any food particles or sugar that's sitting on your teeth.

Additionally, it also helps if you consume it as part of a meal, because whenever we're having a meal, our mouth is producing more saliva and your saliva can actually help reduce the effects of that acid.

Another quick tip is that, if you are drinking something sugary, always drink it with a straw. This is going to help that sugar bypass your front teeth and it also helps with staining.

So, what can you eat instead?

So, instead of drinking soda and sugary fruit juices. You already know I'm gonna tell you to drink water. Water is obviously the best thing for your teeth and your overall body health. But, I get it sometimes you feel like having something flavored.

Good news is there are a lot of low sugar or no sugar drinks out on the market. For example, personally I love drinking gatorade zeros when I don't feel like having water.

What about diet sodas? I get asked this question all the time. So while diet soda typically is not going to have any sugar and going to be lower calories, it is very acidic. So over time, diet sodas are still going to erode your teeth and can cause problems in the future. This is the same for many sugar-free flavored waters, many of them do contain a high acid content. So that is something that you should be aware of.

Chewy Foods

The third category is chewy foods.

Chewy foods tend to typically have a high sugar content, which we already know is not good for your teeth. However, sticky chewy foods cause even more problems. Because, one they're sticky. So they stick to your teeth and two since they're chewy, you tend to chew them longer. Meaning the sugar is going to be contacting your teeth, for a longer period of time.

Examples of chewy foods can be things such as taffy caramel and even certain dried fruits.

So, what to eat instead?

If you are craving something sweet, in my personal opinion. Any other sweet is better than a sticky or chewy sweet. If you are going to have one of those, I definitely recommend you brush or floss afterwards. Because again, they're going to stick to your teeth for a long time.

Another point I want to mention, is that chewy or sticky foods can also stick to dental crowns and actually pull them off, I see this all the time. So again, please be careful when consuming those kinds of foods.

Starchy Foods

The next type of food is starchy foods.

I think this is a category most people don't think of, when they think of foods that can cause cavities. Examples of starchy foods would be things like white bread, pasta, potatoes, potato chips things like that.

Starch is a refined carbohydrate, meaning that almost immediately it starts breaking down into sugars, when it comes into contact with your saliva. It also tends to get stuck to your teeth and in between them, when the enzymes of your saliva start breaking it down. It's usually best, if you consume starchy foods as part of a meal. Because the other foods you're consuming, can potentially prevent those starchy ones from sticking to your teeth.

If you are a big bread eater, like me, absolutely love bread or if you're craving some carbs, consider eating a less refined variety such as whole wheat.

Salty Foods

The last category is salty foods.

Now remember saliva is your friend, saliva is your first defense against oral health issues. It's going to wash away those sugars and bacteria that can cause problems in your mouth.

Heavily salted foods can actually dry out your mouth and take away this defense. So make sure you're drinking plenty of water, to keep your mouth moist. You can also try chewing sugar-free gum with xylitol, to help counteract this and that also helps stimulate saliva flow.

If you do have chronic dry mouth, this is definitely something you should talk to your dentist about. There are also a lot of over-the-counter mouth rinses such as biotin, that can help counteract some of the symptoms of dry mouth.

Now you're probably thinking, I've described pretty much every type of food you like to eat and I'm definitely not saying you should never eat any of these foods. What I want you guys to get out of this blog, is to just understand how to protect your teeth from the types of foods you're eating.

What to eat for healthy teeth?

The first thing I want to talk about are fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.

Examples of these would be things such as carrots, broccolis, pears or celery. These fruits and vegetables, are one of the best natural defenses against cavities and gum disease. They also help promote salivary flow, saliva contains traces of calcium and phosphate and it can actually help restore these minerals to teeth that have lost them from acid attacks.

Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt can also help stimulate saliva flow.

Another category that can help keep your teeth healthy are green or black teas. These teas contain polyphenols, which can interact with the plaque or bacteria in your mouth, halting their growth. With less bacteria, you're going to have less acid attacking your teeth.

Now I should mention, that while these teeth may help with bacterial growth, they can also stain your teeth. So if you are going to be consuming them a lot, make sure you're rinsing and brushing diligently. With frequent snacking throughout the day, you are continuously exposing your teeth to acid attacks and you're not ever letting them recover.

So if you are a big snacker like me, try eating more teeth-friendly snacks throughout the day.

Proper oral hygiene is also key, to natural at home prevention of cavities. So brushing, flossing, water pig, getting a professional cleaning every six months. This is going to be very important, to help prevent cavities and overall keep your mouth healthy.