We all know the secret to healthy teeth: brush regularly, floss regularly and keep sugars to a minimum. However, the food you eat can also play a role in maintaining a healthy mouth, and while no food will ever replace the need to brush, there are some that are surprisingly healthy for your teeth.
10. Chewing gum
Whether this qualifies as food or not is debatable and we would strongly advise against ingesting it. However, as many advertisements promise, chewing gum is indeed good for your teeth, provided it is sugar-free. This is because chewing speeds up the production of saliva, which in turn helps flush out harmful acids more effectively. As an added bonus, it makes your breath smell better.
9. Salmon
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for good oral health as it allows your body to better absorb calcium and use it throughout your body. Salmon is packed with vitamin D and calcium, making it a complete superfood for maintaining healthy teeth and gums.
8. Carrots
Carrots have been hailed as a cavity-fighting vegetable, as nibbling on crunchy, raw carrot sticks acts as a natural toothbrush. The chewing action massages your gums, and this bright vegetable is rich in plaque-fighting keratin as well as vitamin A, which is vital for strengthening sensitive tooth enamel. Overall it’s a good choice for a snack between meals.
7. Cheese
Cheese is great for your teeth. Not only does it have high levels of phosphates and calcium, which naturally strengthen teeth and bones, but it also helps balance the pH level in your mouth, meaning less harmful acid, more saliva cleansing and fewer cavities.
6. Yogurt
Natural sugar-free yogurt makes a great healthy breakfast or snack. For the benefit of your teeth, yogurt contains both casein and calcium, which strengthen enamel and help repair it if it happens to be damaged.
5. Sesame seeds
Eating sesame seeds on their own or baked into bread will help you in two ways. First of all, as you chew, they help remove plaque from your teeth, and secondly, they are high in calcium. Just make sure any seeds caught between your teeth are removed as soon as possible.
4. Onions
Raw onion is incredibly healthy for you and as an added bonus, the antibacterial sulfur compounds in an onion will kill the harmful bacteria on your teeth. But you might want to chew gum afterwards!
3. Celery
Celery gives your teeth a great workout. As you chew celery, it helps clean your teeth and massage your gums in the process, and all that chewing will also produce plenty of saliva to kill bacteria.
2. Apples
ΤApples are very acidic and you could be forgiven for thinking that they will weaken your tooth enamel. However, the natural sugars in apples actually help neutralize harmful acids in the mouth. Apart from that, chewing apples is another good oral workout for saliva production and they are packed with vitamins to keep your gums healthy.
1. Strawberries
Strawberries are sweet, tart and tend to stain things red, so how can they be good for your teeth? Strawberries contain malic acid, which is actually a good natural enamel bleach – eating strawberries will actually help keep your teeth stain-free. Just be aware that strawberry seeds can get stuck between your teeth, so be sure to floss after eating them.
