Las Vegas Dentist Recommends These Foods & Drinks for Improved Oral Health

Brushing and flossing are absolutely important in maintaining excellent oral health, but what is commonly overlooked (brushing & flossing also happen to be overlooked!) are the foods and drinks that we consume on a daily basis.

The fact of the matter is that certain foods and drinks will inevitably have an effect on our oral health. Too many sweet drinks, sodas, fried foods, and other non-nutritious snacks will undoubtedly contribute to the development of plaque on our teeth and gums.

Brushing & Flossing Will Not Completely Prevent Issues

Thankfully, strict brushing & flossing protocol can combat this to a degree. But sometimes the amount of brushing & flossing will not be enough to overpower an insatiable desire ton indulge often.

If we had to select the absolute worst category of foods or drinks that you could consume for your oral health, then we’d unanimously vote on sugary snacks. Do you have to rid of sugary snacks indefinitely? Absolutely not. But the next time you have the temptation to indulge, consciously try thinking about how it may impact your oral health.

Las Vegas Dentists Recommend These Foods & Drinks

Certain fruits and vegetables have the ability to stimulate the release of saliva, which is important in managing the bacteria responsible for plaque production in the mouth.

These fruits & vegetables are:

• ·      Apples (an apple a day may also keep the dentist away?)
• ·      Carrots
• ·      Cucumber
• ·      Celery 

Watch out for highly acidic fruits such as orange. Yes, they are indeed healthy, but they are not so healthy for teeth. However, you’re much better consuming an orange or other highly-acidic fruit than any type of candy, especially gummy candies which may become stuck deep within the pockets of teeth.

Nuts!

Not just any nuts, but cashews specifically. Researchers have found that cashew nut oils fight off bacteria that contribute to tooth decay. Regular nuts are good too, but cashew are great for oral health.

Green Tea

Green tea comes with a plethora of benefits, not just oral health but overall health as well. Green teas contain polyphenols that have shown to slow the development of bacteria associated with gum disease and decay. Black teas work also, but black teas may stain your teeth so green tea is the recommended choice.

Wholesome Dairy Products

It may sound counter-intuitive, but dairy products - especially milk – help to reduce acidity both in your mouth and in your stomach. This is great for controlling bacteria.

These are just a few of our suggestions. One of the most beneficial things you can consume is at its very basic form: water. Staying hydrated is important in keeping saliva levels up to speed, which is very important for bacteria control. And of course, keep brushing & flossing. J

Battling the Sugar Coma on Halloween

Many of us run into the notorious sugar coma on Halloween for obvious reasons: because candy is abundant during this time! It doesn’t even have to be candy from trick-or-treating, but simply from leftovers due to overestimating the amount of trick-or-treaters you believed you would get this year. In any event, your family dentist of Las Vegas, Floss Dental & Orthodontics, provides you with a bit of advice to follow this Halloween in order to fight the real monster: sugar.

1. Pawn It Off

It’s a very hard thing to pull off, but we suggest giving your candy away to various sources. If you brought leftover candies or unwanted candies into work for your coworkers, then you would undoubtedly become a star.

2. Eat This, Not That

Here’s our little spin off of the popular dieting solution that helps you eat healthier options. There are plenty of other alternatives that we can suggest over candy, but our best one is fruit. Fruit is often regarded as “nature’s candy” because it’s natural and contains many valuable vitamins – an aspect that candy simply does not offer.

3. Moderate Your Intake

Another simple suggestion, but can prove very effective is eating in moderation. It’s OK to eat candy, just not in exorbitant amounts. Set yourself a reasonable hard deadline on how much candy to allow yourself per day and actually try living up to your own standards. Not only will your mouth thank you for it, but also you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when you look back weeks later and say to yourself “wow, I did very well this year”.

Why do we worry about sugar so much?

Great question. Excess sugar that is left on the surface of our teeth works with the bacteria in our mouth to create a specific type of acid that causes harm to our teeth in the form of tooth decay. Avoiding sugar is very hard to do as we naturally seek to indulge it. The best thing you can really do besides avoiding it is to brush and floss your teeth. It may also help to drink water after consuming sugar to help wash it out of your teeth.

Have a fantastic Halloween from the team at Floss Dental & Orthodontics!