The Best and Worst Foods for Your Teeth | It’s All About Fighting Plaque

You are what you eat and your smile will tell.

Healthy teeth and gums depend on good oral hygiene, regular dentist visits—and your diet.

Remember plaque? This invisible layer of bacteria on your teeth can cause tooth decay and gum disease. Whatever you eat and drink can further or fight plaque build-up, putting you at higher or lower risk for oral health issues. What will you choose.

This list might help you out.

Best foods for your teeth

Most fruits and vegetables that are rich in water, fiber and vitamins and minerals.

Why?

• The high water and fiber content clean your teeth by removing food particles. Crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, carrots, cucumbers, celery and broccoli are especially effective. 
• The fiber also stimulates saliva flow to wash away and neutralize acids that attack your tooth enamel.
• Vitamins A builds tooth enamel. 
• Vitamin C keeps gums healthy. (But be careful with citrus fruits because of their high acid content, also see “worst foods” below.)
• Calcium and phosphates restore tooth enamel. 

Cheese, milk, plain yogurt and other dairy products rich in calcium

Why?

• Calcium rebuilds tooth enamel and strengthens bones (jaws), reducing the risk of tooth loss.
• Cheese stimulates saliva flow to avoid bad breath and wash away acids and food particles.
• Fermented foods like yogurt may have other oral health, such as preventing bad breath, cavities, gum disease and possibly, oral cancer.

Protein-rich foods like lean meats, poultry, fatty fish and eggs

Why?

• Protein and phosphorous protect and rebuild your tooth enamel.

Nuts

Why?

• Calcium and Vitamin D contained in peanuts strengthen your teeth.
• Many nuts contain plenty of protein to protect your tooth enamel.
• Their crunchiness stimulates saliva to fight bad breath and wash away food particles

 

Whole grains rich in protein

Why?

• The protein protects and rebuilds tooth enamel.
• The fiber stimulates saliva to combat bad breath and wash away food particles.

Green and black teas

Why?

• They contain polyphenols that fight cavity-causing bacteria
• If made with fluoridated tap water, they help remineralize your tooth enamel.

 

Fluoridated tap water

Why?

• Optimally fluoridated tap water will remineralize your tooth enamel and reduce the risk of cavities. 
• It hydrates your mouth to combat bad breath.
• It washes away food particles.
• It doesn’t interact with plaque bacteria to produce cavity-causing acids.

Sugarless chewing gum

Why?

• It produces saliva to fight bad breath and wash away food particles.

 

Worst foods for your teeth

Sticky and gummy candies and sweets.

Why?

• They dissolve slowly in the mouth, giving plaque bacteria more time to produce acids that attack the tooth enamel. 
• They stick on teeth and can yank out fillings.

 

Hard candy

Why?

• They dissolve slowly in the mouth, so plaque bacteria have a field day producing cavity-causing acids.
• Crunching them can crack a tooth or cause the gums to bleed.

 

Starchy foods

Why?

• They get stuck between the teeth, causing bad breath and feeding the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

 

Carbonated soft drinks

Why?

• Their high sugar content is a leading cause of cavity-causing foods, especially if the drink is sipped slowly.
• Many contain phosphoric and citric acids that wear away tooth enamel.

 

Acidic foods

Why?

• The acids can damage the tooth enamel and irritate mouth sores. Pain, sensitive teeth, discoloration and cavities may result. But eating certain acid foods, like tomatoes and citrus fruits, is still recommended because of their high vitamin content that benefits healthy gums. Consume them in moderation, and don’t suck on the juice of a lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange.
• Sour candy also contains high levels of acids yet no nutritional value.

It’s okay to enjoy the occasional treat from the “worst foods” list if you snack smart. That will reduce the effects of acids and rinse food from your teeth. 

 

Other questions about healthy smiles?

Ask your dentist.

If you need one, check this tool to find one in your area. 

And to make sure the regular dentist visits don’t take a massive bite out of your budget, check out our insurance plans for individuals, families or groups. We offer access to one of Arkansas’s largest networks of dental providers and a variety of benefits. We cover vision, too.