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Foods for a Healthier Smile

Keeping your teeth healthy isn’t just about how often you brush. There’s more to learn about being smile smart.

You brush and floss regularly. But did you know that certain foods can affect your tooth enamel? Here’s what you need to know to keep your smile healthy.

Move Out Bacteria
The mouth, with its warm and wet environment, makes a great home for bacteria—which can lead to cavities, especially when you regularly dine on certain foods. Carbohydrate foods contain sugars. And sugars are mouth bacteria’s favorite fuel. Bacteria use sugars to produce acids that can destroy the hard surface of the tooth, called enamel. Over time, tooth decay can occur. Carbohydrate-rich foods, sticky candy, and some dried fruits can cling to the teeth, making them easy targets for bacteria to go to work and posing a cavity risk, says Riva Touger-Decker, PhD, a professor and director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the New Jersey Dental School, in Newark. That’s not to say you shouldn’t enjoy all kinds of foods—just be sure to brush your teeth or chew sugarless gum after eating something that clings to your teeth.

Ponder pH. The pH level refers to how acid or alkaline a food is. Eating lots of acidic foods—including citrus fruits and tomatoes—may increase the risk of damage to tooth enamel, making cavities a greater possibility. Acidic foods don’t inhibit bacteria growth but alkaline foods, such as cheese, can help lessen bacterial growth by reducing acid in the mouth and, therefore, lessening the risk of cavities, says Touger-Decker. Since cheese can be high in fat, enjoy small amounts as a snack or with meals. Just be sure to choose low-fat cheese varieties and watch portions. Make wise food choices and try to pair acidic foods with alkaline counterparts such as cheese and nuts. Here are some tooth-friendly snack ideas:

• Pick light popcorn over pretzels.
• Select small amounts of nuts instead of chips.
• Choose carrots or other veggies with low-fat dip.
• Opt for low-fat cheese to accompany crackers made with whole grain.

Time It Right
How, when, and with what you eat matters when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy.

Eat foods as part of a meal. The effects of less smile-friendly foods are reduced when they are consumed as a part of a larger meal. For example:

• Enjoy orange juice with a cereal and milk breakfast.
• Add grapefruit slices to a salad with sunflower seeds or avocado.
• Top tomato-rich dishes with small amounts of low-fat cheese.
• Combine nuts with dried fruits and light popcorn for a take-along snack.

Scale back sweet sips. Sweetened beverages, like sweet teas and coffees, juices, and soft drinks, sipped over the course of an hour or throughout the day, provide a continual influx of fuel for your mouth’s bacteria. Instead, drink these beverages with a meal, and choose water as your between-meal beverage.

Pack some sugarless gum. Though some consider brushing after every meal to be the ideal, chewing sugarless gum is a good alternative. “When you can’t brush your teeth, chew sugarless gum for 10 to 15 minutes after a meal to help remove sticky foods,” says Touger-Decker.