Believe it or not, there is more to good oral hygiene than brushing and flossing your teeth.  The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends you brush your teeth twice daily with an ADA approved fluoride toothpaste and floss your teeth to remove plaque and food particles from between your teeth and under your gum line.  What many of us don’t realize is that good oral health practices are as important as what we eat and drink.

The ADA recognizes the link between good oral health and good nutrition.  With so many of us, and our children, consuming record numbers of sugar-filled sodas, sweetened fruit drinks, and non-nutritious snack foods, tooth decay is on the rise.  When plaque comes into contact with sugar or starch in the mouth, acid is produced, which can attack the teeth for 20 minutes or more. This can eventually result in tooth decay.

The mouth is a window into the health of the body.
It can show signs of nutritional deficiencies or general infection. Systemic diseases may first become apparent because of mouth lesions or other oral problems. Researchers have found that periodontal disease is linked with other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and bacterial pneumonia. Likewise, pregnant women with periodontitis  may be at risk for delivering pre-term and/or low-birthweight babies.

By maintaining a healthy diet, drinking more water, and limiting sugar snacks, we improve the overall health of our teeth and gums as well as our entire body.  If you have any questions about how your diet may be affecting your teeth and gums, please talk with our staff, we are happy to answer your questions.