Nutritionist From Queens Explains How Nutrition Affects Your Teeth

Nutrition refers to everything that you take into your body. From water to soda and candy to carrots, everything that you ingest has an effect on your body. In particular, it is important to know just how does nutrition affect your teeth. By knowing how what you eat and what you drink will affect your teeth, you could make different choices and improve your oral health.

How Does Nutrition Affect Your Teeth

Your nutrition affects your teeth in many ways. If your diet lacks in certain nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, D and K, your body might not be able to fight off the germs that cause infections. This could put you at risk of a dental abscess. Vitamin D is also needed for your body to absorb calcium. Calcium makes up a large portion of your tooth enamel. Other ways that nutrition affects teeth include:

• Weak ligaments from low vitamin C
• Increased gum disease from low folate
• Weak teeth from low phosphorus

Why Is Nutrition Important for Teeth

Many people wonder, “Why is nutrition important for teeth?” There are a few answers to this question. Your teeth are made up of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. If your nutritional intake of these minerals is low, your teeth could be weak. The enamel could thin, putting you at an increased risk for cavities. If your diet is also high in acidic and sugary foods, you could be setting yourself up for dental decay and gum disease. If you constantly snack on starchy or sugary foods, you could develop plaque and tartar, which often leads to gum disease. If you also have poor dental hygiene in addition to poor nutrition, the effects on your teeth could include:

• Increased tooth sensitivity
• Receded of gum tissue
• Loose teeth and tooth loss
• Minerals such as calcium and phosporus

What Nutrition Is Good for Teeth

When considering what nutrition is good for teeth, there are a few things to keep in mind. For some foods, cooking destroys the nutrients. This is often the case with vegetables. For other foods, they are best eaten whole, as-is, rather than squeezed for their juice. For example, eating an apple is a better nutritional choice than drinking apple juice. By eating the apple with its skin on, you get the fiber and the vitamins in the skin. The best plan of action is to focus on foods that provide a variety of nutrients. Foods high in nutrients that are good for your teeth include:

• Low-fat proteins, such as nuts and unsweetened nut butters, legumes, eggs, fish and poultry without the skin
• Raw whole fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens
• Whole grains, including wheat, quinoa, brown rice and oats

To improve the taste of food without sweetening or salting it, try spices. A dash of cinnamon on apple slices or a spritz of pure vanilla extract over your morning oatmeal adds flavor without adding calories or sugar that could damage your teeth.

Proper nutrition and diet is the way to take care of your internal health as well as your external appearance. You could feel much stronger, look much younger and live much longer if you did it!