Fuel Your Oral Health

Olympic champion Michael Phelps eats between six and ten pounds of food each day to fuel his body for grueling training sessions. His 10,000 to 12,000 calorie diet includes pancakes, eggs, French toast, cheese, pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. While it’s almost certain you don’t need to eat like a 2012 Olympian, there are several foods you can add to your diet to fuel your oral health. Our Lake Forest dentist Dr. James Fondriest would like you to know a few foods you can eat to help build a champion smile.

Eat and Drink to a Healthy Mouth

  • Water—Drinking water throughout the day cleanses the mouth of food particles, restores the pH balance—which reduces the risk of tooth decay, and hydrates the gums.
  • Green tea—Tea, especially green tea, is full of powerful anti-oxidants that are a boon to your health. Tea contains catechin, polyphenols, and tannins, which have anti-bacterial properties that can inhibit the development of plaque, which leads to gum disease and tooth decay.
  • Cheese—Cheese contains calcium and phosphate, which fight bacteria in the mouth and strengthen tooth enamel.
  • Carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potato—These foods are high in vitamin A, which is essential in the formation of tooth enamel.
  • Apples, strawberries, and citrus fruits—These fruits are high in vitamin C, which helps support the collagen in your gums, making them more resistant to tooth decay and gum disease.
  • Almonds—Snacking on 12 to 15 almonds a day can up your calcium intake by 40 to 50mg.
  • Celery, carrot sticks and other crunchy vegetables—Adding a few crunchy vegetables to your diet not only increasing your vitamin intake, it forces you to produce more saliva. Saliva washes away food particles and coats the tooth surface with calcium, fluoride, and phosphate.

 

Schedule a Consultation

Armed with your nutrition knowledge, it’s time to take the next step in the quest for optimal oral health. Cleanings and checkups every six months, in addition to daily brushing and flossing, can keep your smile podium-ready. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Fondriest, call our Lake Forest dental office at (847) 234-0517. We serve Chicago including the North Shore suburbs.