Perhaps you have chosen to begin a healthier diet as your 2016 New Year’s resolution in order to lose weight and get in better shape. We commend you for your decision, and we are also very supportive of this goal because we know that eating a balanced, nutritious diet does more than just help your waste line. It also benefits your entire mouth.

Eating patterns and food choices play an important role in preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Your teeth, gums, tongue, cheeks, and roof of your mouth are all formed with living tissues that are highly sensitive to the foods that you eat. Your mouth is your body’s initial point of contact with the nutrients, vitamins, chemicals, and processed ingredients that you consume. Therefore, what you put in your mouth impacts not only your general health, but it also affects the health of your teeth and gums. In fact, if your nutrition is poor, the first signs of a bad diet often show up in your oral health.

Yes, you should avoid excess sugar, period. A high sugar intake has been directly linked to many diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. A high sugar intake can also be directly linked to cavities and gum disease. Acids within the mouth live off sugars that linger on the teeth. Unless you brush your teeth, floss your teeth, and rinse your mouth every single time you eat a meal or put a piece of gum or candy in your mouth, your teeth and gums are left with sugar making a negative impact.

Eat your fruits and vegetables! These natural foods have many vitamins and nutrients that are essential to building strong bones and teeth and for keeping the entire body healthy.

Drink water. Water hydrates the body and flushes out toxins. Water also helps to loosen plaque from the teeth and gums so that the damage from sugars and bacteria is limited. Sodas are particularly harmful because sipping them causes a constant sugar bath over the teeth. This “sugar bath” promotes tooth decay because the bacteria in the mouth are working extra hard to eat away the sugar, and are inevitably eating away at the tooth enamel.

Making good choices in the foods that you eat and the drinks that you consume can have a huge impact on your oral health. With good oral hygiene, regular dental visits, and a healthy diet, you can promote optimal oral health for a lifetime. Contact Gold Hill Dentistry today.