BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE FOODS you consume can affect your smile as much as brushing or flossing. Every time you eat sugary or starchy foods, the bacteria in plaque get another chance to form decay-causing acid. And bad breath can make you want to hide even the most pristine teeth. But choosing foods that naturally fight bacteria, remove plaque, strengthen enamel, and freshen breath is a good way to preserve your pearly whites.
Pick these 10.
Celery
Celery protects your teeth in two ways, says Lana Rozenberg, D.D.S., a holistic dentist and founder of Rozenberg Dental Day Spa in New York City. The extra chewing it requires produces plenty of saliva, which neutralizes the bacteria Streptococcus mutans that causes cavities. Additionally, chomping on naturally abrasive foods massages gums and cleans between teeth. Try This: Snack on a handful of raw celery or carrots once a day.
Cheese
Studies from the last decade show that cheese, with its low carbohydrate and high calcium and phosphate content, provides several benefits for your teeth. It helps balance your mouth’s pH (an acidic pH encourages the growth of cavity-causing bacteria). Cheese also preserves and rebuilds tooth enamel and produces saliva, which kills the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease. Try This: Enjoy a 1-inch cube (about 1/2 ounce) of cheese after dinner instead of a sweet dessert.
Green Tea
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) contains substances called catechins that kill the bacteria in your mouth that turn sugar into plaque (a sticky mass of bacteria, sugars, proteins, and fats that produces cavity-causing acid when it comes in contact with sugary or starchy foods). Catechins also wipe out the bacteria that cause bad breath. Try This: Drink 2 to 5 cups of green tea (regular or decaffeinated) a day, says Mindy Green, director of research at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colo. Consider making a thermos of green tea to drink at work. The night before, steep 3 to 4 green tea bags in 4 cups of boiling-hot water in a covered thermos for three to five minutes. Remove the bags. Serve the tea the next day over ice or after reheating it.
Kiwis
For their size, kiwis pack more vitamin C than any other fruit. In fact, one large kiwi supplies more than 100 percent of your recommended daily amount. If you don’t get enough vitamin C, research shows that the collagen network in your gums can break down, making your gums tender and more susceptible to the bacteria that cause periodontal disease. Try This: Instead of topping your morning oatmeal with brown sugar, use a sliced kiwi.
Onions
Onions contain powerful antibacterial sulfur compounds. In a 1997 test tube study, onions killed various types of bacteria, including S. mutans. Research indicates that they are most powerful when eaten freshly peeled and raw. Of course, raw onions can do a number on your breath, so be sure to have some fresh parsley on hand (see below). Try This: Add a few onion slices to salads and sandwiches each day.
Parsley
Chewing parsley or mint leaves after a pungent meal will help you maintain sweet-smelling breath. These herbs contain monoterpenes, volatile substances that travel quickly from your bloodstream to your lungs, where their odor is released via your breath. Try This: Top zesty dishes with a few tablespoons of minced fresh parsley or garnish dessert with a few sprigs of fresh mint.
Sesame Seeds
According to fossils, our Paleolithic ancestors had great teeth. Anthropologists suggest that this is partly due to the cleansing action of primitive foods like seeds, which slough off plaque and help build tooth enamel. Sesame seeds, for example, are also high in calcium, which helps preserve the bone around your teeth and gums. Try This: Sprinkle a tablespoon of sesame seeds on salads and steamed vegetables a few times a week for a gentle teeth cleaning and 87 mg of calcium.
Shiitake Mushrooms
A 2000 study in Caries Research showed that lentinan, a sugar found in shiitake mushrooms, prevents mouth bacteria from creating plaque. Try This: A few times a week, add four to five sliced shiitakes to soups or stir-fries. Buy fresh shiitakes or dried ones, which can be reconstituted by soaking them in hot water for about 25 minutes before use.
Wasabi
Otherwise known as Japanese horse-radish, this condiment not only provides zing to sushi, it also protects your teeth. A 2000 study in Biofactors revealed that the substances that make wasabi taste hot, called isothiocyanates, also inhibit the growth of cavity-causing bacteria. Try This: Eating wasabi a few times a week will protect you from cavities. For a smile-saving salad dressing, combine 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.
water
Drinking water keeps your gums hydrated and is the best way to stimulate saliva–your body’s greatest defense against the bacteria that cause plaque and cavities. Rinsing your mouth with water also helps wash away trapped food particles that decompose in the mouth and cause bad breath. Try This: Aim to drink six 8-ounce glasses of purified water throughout each day to keep your gums (and whole body) hydrated and to stimulate saliva. If you can’t brush your teeth after eating, be sure to rinse your mouth with water.
great advise riya!!
Just want 2 add 1 more point. I'm actually a dental student and wht ive learnt is that there is ! single step u can take to ensure good health of your teeth.
ENsure that obviously u brush twice a day, if u brush once a day, then ensure that its at night, since thats when our saliva flow is lowest, and therefore bacteria in the mouth are more active as there is less saliva( which conatins enzymes and anti-bacterial properties) to wash away bacteria.
THE MOST IMportant factor, howver is to use fluoridated toothpaste, Look at the back of your toothpaste tube, and your fluoride concentartion should b a minimum of 1000 ppm of Fluoride, most have 1450 ppm ( parts per million), this is the exact way it is quoted on the toothpaste tube -
Once uve brushed with this, spit out the excess toothpaste BUT DO NOT RINSE YOUR MOUTH WITH WATER. By doing so the water washes the fluoride away.
Fluoride is important as it helps to protect the teeth 4rm decay and strenghthens your teeth.
Fluoride can help to reverse the decaying processes in teeth as well, where the decay is not that extensive.
I know it seems weird not to rinse your mouth with water, but trust me it really helps
I didn't know all of this b4 i joined dental school, my dentist never told me about this, but it really is the easiest and best way to take care of your teeth :)
@ tweety_pie.
What about kids toothpastes? Are they supposed to have fluoride in them?
My son is a little over two, and he doesn't properly spit the paste out , so I'm kind of worried about him swallowing it, and I've heard its not safe to swallow fluoride..
ENsure that obviously u brush twice a day, if u brush once a day, then ensure that its at night, since thats when our saliva flow is lowest, and therefore bacteria in the mouth are more active as there is less saliva( which conatins enzymes and anti-bacterial properties) to wash away bacteria.
THE MOST IMportant factor, howver is to use fluoridated toothpaste, Look at the back of your toothpaste tube, and your fluoride concentartion should b a minimum of 1000 ppm of Fluoride, most have 1450 ppm ( parts per million), this is the exact way it is quoted on the toothpaste tube -
Once uve brushed with this, spit out the excess toothpaste BUT DO NOT RINSE YOUR MOUTH WITH WATER. By doing so the water washes the fluoride away.
Fluoride is important as it helps to protect the teeth 4rm decay and strenghthens your teeth.
Fluoride can help to reverse the decaying processes in teeth as well, where the decay is not that extensive.
I know it seems weird not to rinse your mouth with water, but trust me it really helps
I didn't know all of this b4 i joined dental school, my dentist never told me about this, but it really is the easiest and best way to take care of your teeth :)
What toothpastes would you recommend that would contain 1000 ppm of Flouride with 1450 ppm?
Would you suggest not to rinse the mouth with water during fasting? Would it cause to invalidate the fast (flouride/paste going down the throat)?
@ tweety_pie.
What about kids toothpastes? Are they supposed to have fluoride in them?
My son is a little over two, and he doesn't properly spit the paste out , so I'm kind of worried about him swallowing it, and I've heard its not safe to swallow fluoride..
hey yes kids toothpaste should have fluoride in them, but the conc shud be lower than in the toothpastes for adults. they shoudl have roughly 500 ppm of fluoride. This is because at the age of 2 or in really young kids excess fluoride can actually cos more damage to the teeth than benefit them. Make sure you supervise him whilst brishing his teeth, and only put a small pea size dor a smear of toothpaste on the brish, not loads and loads like the toothpaste adverts show you.
What toothpastes would you recommend that would contain 1000 ppm of Flouride with 1450 ppm?
Would you suggest not to rinse the mouth with water during fasting? Would it cause to invalidate the fast (flouride/paste going down the throat)?
All the major toothpastes wil have the reccomneded concentration of fluoride, like colgate, macleans et.c.
During ramadhan when i brush my teeth at sehri time, i do rinse my mouth with water just because the toothpaste taste stays in my mouth even once my roza has begun, so i guess in ramadhan rinse the toothpaste out at sehri, but when you brush your teeth b4 u go to sleep dont rinse then :)
All the major toothpastes wil have the reccomneded concentration of fluoride, like colgate, macleans et.c.
During ramadhan when i brush my teeth at sehri time, i do rinse my mouth with water just because the toothpaste taste stays in my mouth even once my roza has begun, so i guess in ramadhan rinse the toothpaste out at sehri, but when you brush your teeth b4 u go to sleep dont rinse then :)
Thanks!
Having recently read all this, I have been consuming Celery and using Parsley leaves with only mild effects. Although it does not leave a good/fresh smell, it kind of neutralizes the bad breath.
Has anyone else tried any methods from here or own methods of dental hygiene?