To prevent cavities and maintain oral health, your diet, what you eat and how often you eat are very important. The minute you consume certain foods, some changes begin in your mouth. Bacteria in your mouth; It converts the sugar in foods into acid. This acid attacks tooth enamel and initiates caries formation. The more frequently you eat, the more frequently your teeth are exposed to this cycle of decay.
What are the foods that protect oral health?
For your oral and dental health The most beneficial foods; milk and dairy products, fish, chicken, other meat products and nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.). These foods protect tooth enamel by providing the necessary calcium and phosphorus for teeth to remineralize. Remineralization is a natural process that replaces missing minerals on the enamel when minerals are removed from tooth enamel by acids.
Apart from these foods, hard and juicy fruits (such as apples and pears) and vegetables are also beneficial options for oral health. . These foods contain high amounts of water, and this water dilutes the sugar contained in fruits and stimulates saliva flow.
Saliva washes away food residues from the teeth and buffers the acid. Acidic foods; (lemon, orange, tomato, etc.) should be eaten as part of a large meal. In this way, the effect of the acid they contain will be reduced...
What are the foods that are harmful to oral health?
Floury and sugary foods (candy, lollipops, cookies, biscuits, cakes, cakes, tarts, bread, potato chips, crackers, etc.), sugary fruits (bananas, raisins, etc.). These foods contain very high amounts of sugar. They stick to your teeth and serve as a food source for bacteria. Like candies, they cause tooth decay by coating the tooth with sugar. When cough syrups have to be used, the mouth should be cleaned afterwards, at least with water.
What are beneficial and harmful drinks?
Useful. beverage options; Water (especially fluoridated water), milk and unsweetened deterrence. Consumption of sugary drinks should be reduced (such as sugary sodas, lemonade, fruit juices and tea and coffee with added sugar). Additionally, sipping sugary drinks should be avoided throughout the day. Drinking such beverages, even in small amounts, throughout the day will cause your teeth to be constantly exposed to sugar and therefore caries-causing acids.
What is the effect of sweeteners and sugar-free products on teeth?< br />
Since sweeteners that taste and look like sugar are not digested in the same way as sugar, they do not feed the bacteria in the mouth and therefore do not cause the production of caries-causing acids. They contain erythritol, isomalt, sorbitol, mannitol, saccharin and aspartame.
Sugar-free product statement; It means that no external sugar is added during the processing of the product. However, this does not mean that the food does not contain natural sweeteners (such as honey, barley, malti, fructose, or rice syrup). These sweeteners contain the same amount of calories as sugar and are equally harmful to teeth. If you want to understand whether the product you purchased contains natural sweeteners, check the table of ingredients. Words ending with the "-oz" suffix
are generally natural sweeteners, such as fructose and sucrose. You can also check under the sweeteners heading in the table.
Is chewing gum good for your teeth?
Chewing sugarless gum is actually beneficial for your teeth. Because chewing gum cleans food residues stuck on the teeth and activates saliva, which neutralizes acids. In fact, candies containing xylitol as a sweetener reduce the formation of caries. However, if you have problems with your jawbone or jaw joint, chewing gum may be harmful to you.
How should teeth and gum care be?
Brush your teeth regularly, at least twice a day and preferably after every meal and snack.
Use a toothpaste containing fluoride.
Floss at least once a day.
See your dentist regularly. See it, preferably twice a year. Eat a well-rounded diet and reduce your consumption of sugary foods and drinks between meals. If you need to snack, choose nutritious foods. Such as cheese, raw vegetables, plain yoghurt or juicy fruits.
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