Along with brushing, flossing, and regular checkups with your dentist, there are other ways to care for your teeth. Health professionals recommend eating more fruits and vegetables and other nutritious foods for their contribution to healthy teeth and gums. These recipes contain fresh and healthy ingredients with minerals, vitamins, and sugar substitutes that help maintain and strengthen your teeth.
1. Almond Cookies
Almond cookies made with xylitol taste delicious and won’t contribute to tooth decay. Xylitol is used as a sugar substitution and has antimicrobial properties. It fights harmful bacteria in your mouth while neutralizing plaque. It won’t feed the harmful bacteria in your mouth like sugar. When eating food or chewing gum with xylitol, your mouth maintains a neutral ph level, and it helps prevent harmful bacteria from sticking to your teeth. Natural foods that contain xylitol include raspberries, corn, mushrooms, and wheat.
2. Brie and Strawberry Bites
Try this brie and strawberry bites recipe with your kids. It’s fun and easy to make and the cheese provides the calcium growing bones need. Since the majority of the calcium in our bodies is in our teeth and bones, eating calcium-rich foods can help prevent tooth decay and reduce other bone issues as we grow older. Calcium inhibits also cavities by increasing saliva production and neutralizing plaque acid. If you don’t consume enough calcium, your body will absorb the mineral from the bones in your body, including in your mouth.
3. Apples and “Caramel” Yogurt Dip
Apples are a healthy snack, but the pairing of sticky caramel with them can cause cavities and cause damage to dental work. This “caramel” yogurt recipe won’t stick and makes a great snack. When you eat sticky and chewy candy, it gets trapped in between your teeth and sticks to their surface. Saliva can’t clean these areas thoroughly. If you cannot brush and floss after eating sweets, it helps to drink water afterward.
4. Chocolate, Banana, and Coconut Smoothie
A chocolate banana coconut smoothie has potassium that improves bone mineral density, and calcium is beneficial for keeping your teeth healthy. When we eat potassium-rich foods, it combines with magnesium to prevent our blood from being too acidic. Too much acid in your mouth will leech calcium from your teeth. Because some fruits are high in sugar and acids, it’s recommended to drink fruit drinks from a straw to avoid fruit juice contact with your teeth.
5. Fruit Kabobs
Choose fruits that are good for your teeth to make this fruit kabob without sugar or syrup as a treat. Include apples, which stimulate gums, and citrus fruits that cleans your teeth and massages your gums. But be careful with the latter. Too much citrus can erode the enamel on your teeth.
6. Pumpkin Soup
This soothing recipe, pumpkin soup, contains vitamins A and C. Vitamin C is also called ascorbic acid. You may recognize it from many food labels. When you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, you’ll have a higher level of vitamin C in your system, which helps maintain healthy bones and teeth.
7. Pumpkin Hummus
Pumpkin hummus contains vitamins C and A, which both contribute to the health of your teeth. Vitamin A comes in two forms. Provitamin A is in fruits and vegetables, and preformed vitamin A comes from animal products. The provitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, according to the National Institutes of Health. Vitamin C is part of a healthy diet. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin C in your diet, your gums may start to bleed.
8. Roasted Butternut Squash With Herbs and Garlic
Roasted butternut squash with herbs and garlic boosts your immune system making you less prone to infections. It also contains vitamins C and A for maintaining healthy teeth and strengthening your gums. Vitamin A also is known as retinol and helps you see better as well.
9. Red Lentil Soup
Red lentil soup contains lots of fibre and a healthy dose of magnesium. The mineral magnesium absorbs calcium, which makes your teeth stronger. It also helps prevent teeth grinding, sleep troubles, and headaches. According to Web MD, female adults require over 300 mg of magnesium, and male adults need over 400 mg per day.
10. No-Sugar-Added Minty Hot Cocoa
No-sugar-added minty hot cocoa is an ideal substitute for hot chocolate, which may contain harmful amounts of sugar. When you eat foods with sugar, the harmful bacteria in your mouth feeds from the sugar and proceeds to create acids that wear away tooth enamel. The signs and symptoms of cavities are toothaches, sensitivity to hot and cold food or drinks, and pain when you chew.
The more healthy food you eat from the four food groups, the healthier your teeth and gums will be. To prevent cavities, brush your teeth twice daily with a toothpaste containing fluoride. If your teeth need extra care, ask a dentist about preventive dentistry.
