To keep our teeth healthy, we have often been advised to keep our teeth clean, brushed, and flossed while having regular checkups with our dentists. However, this regime is only partially true as most people forget the essential factor of bad or good oral health: diet. The answer to the question “Is your diet affecting your teeth?” is yes. A person’s diet plays a significant role and part in improving or worsening their oral health. This notion is further discussed in the following details: 

Diets of Ancient and Modern Era

We all know how healthy and long lives the people of the ancient era, specifically the Paleolithic area lived. This is mainly because ancient people used to have a healthy diet that contained a balance of everything, such as: 

  • Vegetables and Fruits
  • Seeds and Nuts
  • Seafood and Fish
  • Meat
  • Butters/ Oil

While most people think and believe that the ancient people had damaged and unhealthy teeth, they actually had very strong and disease-free teeth despite how they looked. This is great because of their healthy and nutritious diet; the tables turned completely just one generation down. 

The generation today lives on a bread-laden, starchy, and processed Diet that might have a lot of taste but also provides a ton of orthodontic problems and increases in cavities. 

Issues with the Modern Diet

While processed food, sugar, and bread are great issues in the modern Diet, one more relevant problem is vitamin K2, a nutrient greatly consumed by ancient people but missing in today’s Diet. This vitamin is a nutrient that helps and aids the synergistic movement of calcium in the human body, particularly in strengthening bones and teeth. 

Without this help and aid from Vitamin K2, teeth are more prone to decay and damage. One more issue with the modern Diet is the need for varied textures in the Diet that people consume. A varied textured and healthy rich diet contains animal meat, butter, leafy greens, and seeds that work together to keep the teeth clean, fresh, and free of plaque, ensuring oral health. 

Benefits of Saliva

While saliva is an extracellular fluid that acts as a protective layer for bacteria and delivers nutrients to the teeth, it effectively helps prevent and fight cavities. While regularly brushing your teeth can keep your teeth clean, it doesn’t harm your saliva quality and production. 

Whereas foods that are low in calories, acidic ingredients, processed sugar, artificial sugar, and consumption of nutrient-dense food enhance saliva production and quality, further protecting your teeth and improving oral health. 

Importance of Brushing Your Teeth

While following a healthy diet important, brushing your teeth twice a day is equally essential. Brushing distorts the bacteria on your teeth and discourages cavities and bacterial growth. This not only prevents ‘acid attacks on the teeth but also protects against tooth decay. 

Brushing regularly and using a toothpaste that includes HAp (hydroxyapatite) can provide incredible benefits to your teeth and oral health. 

Conclusion

While brushing your teeth and keeping them clean have their advantages, these tasks take only a few minutes. Whereas having a healthy and nutritious diet can impact you 24/7/365. However, if you are facing any dental issues and looking for an excellent dental clinic, contact Gentle Dentistry, where our experts will provide you with their expertise.