A healthy smile starts with what you consume on a daily basis. The foods you eat and beverages you drink can either contribute to a sparkling smile, or, unfortunately, to tooth decay. Sugary beverages like juice, wine and soda can cause the latter, while fruits and vegetables can improve your oral health. We’ll share with you the definition of plaque and how you can protect your teeth from its damaging effects.
What is Plaque?
Your teeth are impacted by what you eat, what you drink and your saliva production day in and day out. When food, saliva and drinks combine, plaque builds up. Plaque contains bacteria that develops along the gum line and between your teeth. This bacteria feeds on the sugar and carbs you consume, leaving behind damaging acids that erodes and breaks down your enamel. If plaque is not brushed, rinsed or scraped away, it can break through the enamel and create cavities and other issues.
What Foods Reduce Plaque on Teeth
The three foods that help keep your mouth clean throughout the day while reducing plaque on teeth are dairy products, apples and celery. Certain dairy products, such as yogurt, cheese and milk, are high in calcium and protein, nutrients that help strengthen your teeth. The fibrous texture and watery contents in apples and celery help scrape leftover food particles and clear away bacteria from your teeth.
Saliva is Good For Your Smile.
Dairy products, apples and celery have their own unique teeth-cleaning abilities, but they share one superpower in particular: promoting saliva production. Saliva may seem unsavory when it’s associated with spit balls, but it does wonders for your oral health. According to a IJOS study, a healthy person produces 600 milliliters of saliva every day and 99% of it is water. Saliva defends against cavities, washes away food debris, allows you to taste and swallow, and keeps your teeth strong.
There are many other ways to keep plaque at bay, like regular check-ups, daily brushing and flossing, drinking water, and limiting the amount of sugar you consume. One simple swap for sugary beverages is drinking unsweetened black or green tea because it is filled with plaque fighting ingredients. If you have a dull yellow sticky substance on your smile, schedule an appointment with us and we’ll clean up your smile.