Building Strong Teeth: Best Foods for Dental Health

We know that eating a healthy, balanced diet is good for our overall health. What is less appreciated is how important the food we eat is for our dental health too. Alongside regular brushing, flossing and dentist appointments, eating the right foods helps maintain strong teeth.

Healthy, strong teeth reduce the risk of cavities and tooth decay. Therefore, it is important to know what helps strengthen teeth in terms of the food and drink we consume.

Best Foods for Building Strong Teeth

Foods that help build strong teeth are high in fiber and rich in nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. The correct foods help replace lost minerals and strengthen your teeth, as well as remove the plaque that causes tooth decay. 

It is equally important to be aware of the foods you want to avoid for maintaining stronger teeth. Avoiding foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates helps prevent the build-up of plaque on your teeth, while reducing the consumption of acidic products helps reduce the risk of enamel erosion.

The following are some of the best foods for building stronger teeth.

1. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are an excellent all-rounder when it comes to good dental health. Packed with oral health-boosting nutrients including calcium and vitamin C, leafy greens help strengthen the enamel on your teeth.

Antioxidants and compounds within leafy greens help combat gum disease as well as reduce the number of plaque-forming bacteria within the mouth. 

Spinach, kale and Swiss chard are good examples, and even chewing them helps bolster saliva production to wash away bacteria and food particles from the teeth.

2. Fatty Fish

Certain fish are also a good choice for healthy teeth. Fatty fish are fish packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 helps prevent cavities as well as supporting gum health.

Fatty fish is also high in vitamin D which is a vital component for dental health, as it helps deliver the benefits of calcium to strengthen tooth enamel and reduce the risk of tooth decay and cavities.

Examples of fatty fish include salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna.

3. Dairy

Dairy is a source of enamel-strengthening calcium, as well as protein. A lack of calcium can make you more at risk of cavities and tooth decay. The proteins found in dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurts help form a protective film over the teeth, further aiding repair and strengthening tooth enamel.

4. Fruit

Fruit is excellent for our overall health, but a little bit of a mixed bag where dental health is concerned because of the high acidity levels contained in many fruits. The key here is moderation, as high levels of acidity in the mouth can promote a build-up of bacteria and plaque.

However, fruits such as oranges are rich in vitamin C, while chewing fibrous fruit like apples and pears stimulates saliva production to help neutralize the acidity in the oral cavity. When you eat fruit, it can be a good idea to drink water after to help rinse out some of the natural sugars and acids.

5. Crunchy Veg

Eating crunchy veg stimulates saliva production. Among its many functions, saliva washes away food particles on which bacteria can feed. Munching on raw carrots, celery or bell peppers not only boosts saliva production, but the roughage contained in the vegetables helps remove some of the plaque from the teeth.

6. Whole Grains

Whole grains are good for healthy strong teeth as they contain iron, magnesium and vitamin B. There is also some evidence that the high levels of fiber contained in whole grains can help reduce the risk of gum disease. Whole grains include oats, brown rice, barley, bulgar and quinoa.

7. Nuts

Nuts are also high in fiber, as well as being a good source of calcium and antioxidants. They help strengthen tooth enamel and can reduce the risk of inflammation and gum disease. The rough texture of nuts is also beneficial as it helps clear plaque from the teeth as you chew, while the act of chewing promotes saliva production.

Almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans and hazelnuts are among the nuts that can help build stronger teeth. Make sure to avoid nuts that have been given a sweetened covering. Eating softer nuts reduces the risk of chipping a tooth too.

8. Water

We have mentioned a benefit of drinking water once already, but it is worthy of its own heading. Drinking water regularly throughout the day offers several oral health benefits. 

Primarily, water helps wash away food particles, sugar and acids that build up on the teeth or get trapped between the teeth. This prevents cavities by removing a feeding ground for bacteria.

Water also contains fluoride, a mineral that helps in the fight against enamel erosion. Another benefit of drinking water is that by staying hydrated you boost saliva flow, another important element in reducing plaque.

Foods to Avoid

Having listed foods that are good for dental health, it feels appropriate to list a few that are not so good for your teeth. Many foods today are processed and high in sugar content. The sugars and acids from such foods stick to the teeth and create ideal feeding grounds for cavity-forming bacteria.

Some food and drinks to avoid or at least to reduce consumption include:

• white bread – the starch is broken down into sugars that stick to the teeth
• candies – high sugar content and likely to stick to the teeth for longer
• soda – sugary drinks that can also be corrosive and damage teeth
• potato chips – the starch turns to sugar
• sugary cereals – high sugar content
• coffee – can stain teeth
• alcohol – dries out the mouth reducing saliva flow and increasing acidity

Final thoughts

What we eat can have a big impact on building stronger teeth. The best foods for dental health are rich in nutrients like calcium and magnesium, and high in fiber. Foods high in sugar and carbohydrates are ones to avoid. If you remain uncertain about what helps strengthen teeth, your dentist can advise you on the foods that are best for dental health.