Eating may be
a necessity, but when it comes to your teeth and gums, all that munching also
can lead to quite a battle raging in your mouth.
Some of those foods – especially the sugary and starchy ones – act like invading forces, feeding the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease, even as the saliva in your mouth fights back as best it can, trying to ward off the detrimental effects of the acids and enzymes.
“Tooth decay can be a problem for people of all ages – children, teenagers and adults – and yet it’s completely avoidable,” says Dr. Seth Newman (www.asktheorthos.com), an orthodontist and co-author with Dr. Steve Giannoutsos of Giving It To You Straight: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Orthodontics But Were Afraid To Ask.
Newman and Giannoutsos say that there are plenty of ways that what’s in your diet affects not just your weight, but also your teeth and gums.
“Most people know that sugar and processed snacks can lead to tooth decay, even if they don’t always avoid those foods,” Giannoutsos says. “But there are other foods that also can be troublesome, and many people may not realize that.”
He and Newman provide a few tips for making sure your diet isn’t harmful to your oral health:
- Watch out for
bread – and chips. Chomp down on a candy bar and you might
think to yourself that you better brush soon, lest the sugar go to work on
your teeth before you can head it off. But the same thought might not occur
to you when you’re eating breadsticks. Yet, foods that are high in
carbohydrates and starches – such as bread, chips, pasta and crackers –
contribute to the plaque acid that attacks tooth enamel.
- Braces come with
extra concerns. Beyond the usual dental care, there are additional
dietary worries to consider when you have braces. People wearing braces
should avoid foods that are too hard, sticky or chewy, Newman says, such
as gum, nuts, corn chips, hard taco shells, hard candy and popcorn, just
to name a few.
- my son uses a cordless water flosser since getting braces which helps so much.
- Develop good
food-choice habits. When you’re grocery shopping, always
check the nutrition labels. “Selecting snacks that are low in sugar can
help combat tooth decay,” Giannoutsos says. “If poor nutrition continues,
your oral health will decline, potentially resulting in gum disease and
tooth loss.” Fruits and vegetables that are rich in fiber are a good
choice for improving your oral health. Examples are apples, carrots and
celery. In addition, milk, cheese and other dairy products are excellent options
because of the calcium, phosphate and vitamin D they contain. Finally,
drink fluoridated water as much as possible. If your tap water doesn’t
include fluoride, check with your dentist for a fluoride supplement.
Ultimately, more is at stake than
your teeth and gums. Left untreated, Giannoutsos and Newman say, oral-health
problems can have a detrimental effect on your overall health, contributing to
such conditions as heart disease and diabetes. That’s an additional reason why
regular checkups – along with brushing and flossing – are so critical.
“It’s hard to resist your inner
sweet tooth, so I wouldn’t say that you should never indulge in treats,” Newman
says. “But when you do, brushing your teeth as quickly as possible afterwards
will help decrease the risk of decay.”
About Seth Newman, DDS
Dr. Seth Newman (www.asktheorthos.com) is an orthodontist and
co-author, with Dr. Steve Giannoutsos, of Giving
It To You Straight: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Orthodontics But
Were Afraid To Ask. He owns orthodontic practices in the New York
City area. Dr. Newman completed his dental training at Stony Brook School of
Dental Medicine, where he was a member of the National Dental Honor Society. He
was a clinical instructor of the Invisalign system at the NYU School of
Dentistry.
About Dr. Efstathios “Steve” Giannoutsos
Dr. Efstathios Giannoutsos, or “Dr.
G.” as he is commonly called, was born in Astoria, Queens, just outside of New
York City. He graduated from St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens, with
high honors and a BS in Biology. He is also the co-author with Dr.
Seth Newman of Giving It To
You Straight: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Orthodontics But Were
Afraid to Ask (www.asktheorthos.com). He completed his dental
training at NYU, where he graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
degree. He was also accepted into NYU’s highly competitive orthodontic
residency program. During that time, he also discovered a passion for treating
children and adults with facial deformities. Coinciding his passion, his research
thesis to attain specialty certification involved children with cleft
deformities.
This is very helpful for every children to avoid tooth decay after I saw this I ate a lot of apple.
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