1) High-fiber fruits and vegetables - High-fiber foods work like a detergent in the mouth, not only physically “scrubbing” the teeth, but also stimulating saliva flow by requiring longer chewing times.
5) A hot cup of cavity-fighter – Green and black teas contain compounds called polyphenols that interact with the bacteria that causes plaque. These polyphenols either kill or suppress bacteria, preventing them from growing or producing tooth-attacking acid.
6) Go nuts - Many nuts provide vitamins and minerals that help your teeth. These include peanuts (calcium and vitamin D), almonds (high levels of calcium that helps both teeth and gums), cashews (stimulates saliva and helps clean teeth) and walnuts (fiber, folic acid, iron, thiamine, magnesium, iron, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin B6, potassium and zinc).
7) Mining for minerals – Foods that provide vitamins A, C and D as well as calcium and phosphorus, are especially good for the teeth. These foods can be part of an overall healthy diet, as well. These include beef, eggs, fish, potatoes, spinach, fortified cereals, tofu, leafy green vegetables, beans, whole grains and poultry.
Top 7 Worst Foods and Drinks for Teeth
1) Carbonated beverages & other drinks - Soft drinks are a perennial target of nutrition police, because they add so much sugar to the national diet.
2) Not-so-healthy vitamins - Even so-called health drinks are brimming with danger for your teeth. Sports drinks are notoriously acidic and full of sugar. And vitamin waters can contain as much sugar as a candy bar. Chewable vitamins – from multivitamins to large chewable vitamin C tablets – are especially bad, because they contain a concentrated acid that tends to cling to and between teeth.
3) Mouth-drying consumables – Whether it’s last night’s margaritas that are leaving one cotton-mouthed, or one of the medications that affect salivation, a dry mouth is danger to teeth and gums. One must to take extra care to keep the mouth hydrated, from deliberately washing with water or fluoridated rinses, to mouth hydration solutions.
4) Long-lasting and sticky sweets - It’s not news that caramels and other gooey, sugary sweets are bad for teeth. It’s not just the sugar, though; it’s how long the teeth are exposed to sugar. This principle applies to any sweets, from candy to sweet drinks –sugar should stay in the mouth as briefly as possible.
5) Dried fruits – While fresh grapes and plums are considered “good” foods, if they are dried, they go from hero to villain. Already sweet when fresh, their sugars are highly concentrated as the water is dried away, and their gummy texture can cling to teeth as much as gooey candy. And worse, the fruit is packed with non-soluble cellulose fiber, which can bind and trap sugars on and around the tooth, making it worse than candy.
6) Starchy foods - Many starchy foods, including white bread, potato chips and French fries and al dente pasta, can easily become lodged between teeth and in crevices. .
7) High-acid foods and drinks - Citrus fruits and drinks contain powerful citric acid – in fact, such juice is often used as a cleaning agent. While oranges, lemons and grapefruit can be a healthy part of the diet, they should be consumed quickly, preferably as part of a meal, and the teeth should be rinsed afterward.
SOURCE:
The Top 7 Best and Worst Foods for Teeth by Dr. John Moore
