A luminous, bright white smile, is the stuff that dreams are made of. People with whiter teeth are perceived as more socially competent, smarter, more satisfied in their relationship and more psychologically adjusted according to one study. Another study, (commissioned by Crest whitestrips*), proved that a white smile may lead to more success in both our professional and private lives.
So, it’s no wonder, given the higher costs of professional whitening treatments, that patients are looking more and more to natural food remedies to help whiten their pearly whites.
Along with brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing and keeping up with your regular appointments at your dentist or hygienist, the following are a list of foods that will help you keep your teeth clean, bright and sparkling and the foods and drinks that won’t!
Cheese: Cheese is an important food for maintaining white, healthy teeth. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic dentistry, lactic acid in cheese protects against tooth decay. Calcium in cheese and other dairy products also are necessary in keeping our teeth strong and healthy. Chewing hard cheese also increased saliva flow helps teeth stay healthy.
Strawberries: Strawberries contain malic acid and ellagitannins, which are antioxidants that help reduce stain attracting bacteria and gum inflammation. Vitamin C in strawberries help prevent gum inflammation also. Mixing mashed strawberries and baking soda and water into a paste, is an excellent material to use to help keep your teeth clean and white. Malic acid also works as a natural astringent dissolving surface stains on teeth.
Pineapple; pineapple contains bromelain, an anti-inflammatory with cleaning properties. According to a study in the Journal of Dental Hygiene, bromelain is an effective ingredient in stain removing toothpastes.
Raw vegetables; Raw vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are high in fibre and the chewing of these vegetables helps plaque removal acting as a natural exfoliator. The chewing action in the mouth also increases saliva in the mouth, further helping to clean your teeth.
Coconut oil; Coconut is a cost effective natural remedy which, when used with the oil pulling techniques, forms a protective layer over your teeth, helping them to whiten and stay clean.
Baking soda; Baking soda has long been lauded as an excellent, natural, cost effective substance which whiten teeth by removing stains due to its mildly abrasive effect. Mixing a small amount of baking soda with water and using the paste while brushing your teeth does wonders to remove stains and make your teeth look whiter and cleaner. Mashing a strawberry and mixing this with the baking soda paste is also excellent for tooth whitening.
Foods and drinks that are bad for your teeth:
Fruits; The general rule of thumb is that foods that stain your clothes, can stain your teeth. So certain fruits, i.e. tomatoes, although very heathy for the body, unfortunately can stain your teeth.
Coffee; Sorry java junkies, but your remedy for tired mornings contain tannins that cause discolouration and staining. Also, as coffee is acidic, it alters the natural ph of the mouth, making your teeth more prone to decay. It is absolutely essential not to add sugar to your coffee as this will be major cause of cavities in your teeth. Try sweetener as an alternative if you cannot give up on the on the sweetness.
Sweets; It’s a fact known to many, but the high sugar levels in sweets are detrimental to your teeth. Sugar in sweets sticks on to your teeth and becomes the main food for the bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria releases acid which causes decay on teeth paving the way for black or brown lesions to develop.
Lemons; Lemons and citrus fruits, although they are jam packed with nutrients and goodness, actually have very high levels of acid and alter the pH of the mouth. This is one of the reasons why it is absolutely not advised to brush lemon juice in to your teeth as the acid can wear down healthy enamel, exposing dentine which is the yellow layer underneath enamel.
Tea; Just like coffee, tea also contains the staining saboteur, tannins. Green tea stains your teeth grey and black tea stains your teeth yellow. Green tea has a very high potential for staining, however drinking a high quality green tea causes less staining to the teeth. If you are not prepared to bid your brew adieu, there are a couple of tips to help reduce the staining capacity of tea. Adding milk to your tea greatly reduces its stain ability and also drinking tea through a to-go lid will help reduce the tea’s interaction with your teeth. Not adding sugar to your tea, like coffee, is essential.
Red wine; Those pesky tannins in tea and coffee are also present in red wine which can cause heavy staining to your teeth. However, do not despair, research shows that red wine may actually be good for your teeth! So, don’t feel too bad about knocking back your Malbec of a Saturday, you may be doing your teeth some good!
White wine; Alas, although white wine does not contain tannins, one study has showed that the lighter shade of wine actually makes your teeth stain darker! The high acidity of the drinks, cause little pockets to develop on the tooth surface making them more permeable and prone to staining.
Fizzy drinks; Sugar laden fizzy drinks cause massive damage to teeth. Their high sugar content (a can of a a fizzy drink contains over 9 teaspoons of sugar), weakens enamel by providing the food for acid producing bacteria, which causes tooth decay. Carbonated drinks are worse, as the high pH weakens the tooth surface, allowing the sugar to have a greater effect on the teeth. Diet fizzy drinks are also not good for the teeth as they still contain high levels of acid which causes teeth to rot.
So, there you have it, my list of foods and drinks that are good and bad for your teeth!
Head over to my blog www.jcdentistry.ie/blog-1 for more info and a big thank you to all for reading it and for your ongoing support. It is much appreciated!