Naturally, minerals in teeth begin to decrease as you age. Although, the foods you eat contribute to it as well. When your teeth lose minerals, it opens the opportunity for cavities to form and teeth to decay.
What contributes to low minerals in your teeth? Naturally, it occurs when you consume foods, notably by eating sugary and acidic foods. Acids form when bacteria accumulate in the mouth and the sugar that remains is something that the acid feeds off to attack your enamel.
Therefore, oral hygiene is essential in keeping teeth and the enamel strong. Your diet and lifestyle are part of your oral hygiene and contributes to the state of your enamel.
Below breaks down the steps you can take today to remineralize your teeth.
Brush And Floss Your Teeth
The first step to prepare your mouth to defend itself from cavity and decay is brushing and flossing teeth. Flossing is also important because any food debris that becomes stuck in between teeth can produce bacteria. Therefore, brushing and flossing are important in keeping bacteria low. Ensure you brush teeth with fluoride toothpaste as this acts as a cavity-prevention aid. It reduces plaque and the ability for plaque to produce acid, promoting remineralization.
Reduce Your Sugar Intake
How much sugar do you consume as part of your daily diet? The dentist will always warn you about regularly consuming sugar at a dental check-up appointment. Sugar is highly acidic and interacts with bacteria to break down your oral health. If you consume high levels of sugar, this leads to demineralization and exposes the teeth to cavities and decay. Why not consider changing your diet towards other sugar alternatives?
Promote Saliva Production
Saliva is your first line of defence because saliva contains natural minerals that strengthen your teeth and protects them from common germs. A shortage of saliva production produces dry mouth. This happens when your salivary glands become damaged. Therefore, increase the flow of saliva by consuming water regularly throughout the day, eat sugarless chewing gum, avoid alcohol and consumption of dry foods.
Consume Calcium and Vitamins
Calcium is very important to your oral health. It plays a vital role in ensuring your nerves signal correctly, strengthens and remineralizes your bone and teeth. As part of a balanced lifestyle, ensure you integrate these foods as part of your daily balanced diet:
- Dairy products (Milk, Cheese and Yoghurt)
- Seafood, Fish and Sardines
- Leafy and Green Vegetables (Broccoli and Kale)
- Nuts (Almonds and Walnuts)
- Soya Beans
- Oatmeal
Following these lifestyle changes are a great way to replenish the minerals to remineralize teeth. Ultimately, if you want to keep your teeth, bone and enamel strong, you’re heading in the right direction with these natural tips you can carry out at home. Keeping your enamel strong brings these key benefits to your smile.
Are you in need of a dental check-up? Contact us at Integrated Smiles Bendigo Dentists today and let us look after your teeth and smile.
