To protect your teeth, you need to pay attention to these dietary factors

We have all heard of the idea that "eating sugar will damage teeth". The famous Tang Dynasty doctor Sun Simiao's "Qian Jin Fang" records: "Ordinary people who cannot clean their teeth after eating and drinking will be exposed to foul smells for a long time, and their gums will have holes and be eaten away by insects."
Modern people are exposed to more sweets and sugary drinks on a daily basis than ever before. These contain a lot of sugar - including sucrose, fructose, glucose, etc. If they are not cleaned in time after eating, they will harm the health of teeth.
In addition to sugar, there are some foods that can affect your dental health.

Foods that are bad for your teeth

1. Refined food: Refined food has its taste improved through a series of processing. However, after processing, too many nutrients in the food are destroyed, and the hardness and toughness of the food that are beneficial to tooth health are also weakened.

For example, delicate cakes or breads easily form a paste in the mouth, which adheres to the tooth surface or tooth neck, or remains between the teeth, and is used, decomposed, and acidified by oral bacteria, increasing the production of dental plaque. At the same time, most of these foods contain high sugar content, and eating too much will greatly increase the risk of dental diseases.

2. Sour food

There is a poem by Yang Wanli in the Song Dynasty that describes "the sourness of plums softens teeth, and the green of banana leaves is shared with the window screen." Most people have experienced "loose teeth" due to eating sour food.

If you often eat sour foods, such as vinegar, sour plums, lemons and other foods rich in acetic acid or fruit acid, in addition to stimulating the dental nerves, they will also directly act on the tooth surface to cause demineralization of the enamel and collapse of organic matter, thereby leading to the occurrence of dental erosion.

In addition, the carbonated drinks and fruit juices that we often come into contact with in our daily lives contain a lot of acidic substances and sugar, which can also cause corrosion to the tooth surface and increase the risk of dental plaque formation.

3. Hard food

Frequent biting of hard objects, such as nut shells, crab shells, ice cubes, etc., may cause microcracks in the tooth enamel, leading to continuous irritation of the teeth, and then symptoms such as overly sensitive teeth, loose teeth, and tooth defects.

Foods that are good for your teeth

1. Vegetables and fruits rich in fiber

When people eat vegetables rich in dietary fiber, such as carrots, celery, apples and other fruits and vegetables, the mechanical friction on the tooth surface can clean the tooth surface, just like using a toothbrush. The chewing action also stimulates the secretion of saliva, which contains trace amounts of calcium and phosphate, which can make tooth enamel stronger and reduce the adhesion of food to the tooth surface.

Since fruits and vegetables are rich in minerals and vitamins, it will be beneficial to dental health if you eat more than 300 grams of fresh vegetables and 200-350 grams of fresh fruits every day.

2. Calcium-containing foods

Calcium is essential if you want to stay away from tooth decay. Adequate calcium can prevent incomplete calcification of teeth, increase the hardness and toughness of teeth, and effectively prevent damage to dentin.

Milk, cheese and other dairy products are rich in calcium and are easily absorbed. Intake of more than 300 ml of liquid milk a day can help promote the repair of tooth hard tissues and resist enamel demineralization, thereby enhancing the tooth's ability to resist corrosion. In addition, green leafy vegetables, tofu, beans, sesame, shrimp skin, kelp and egg yolks are also good choices.

3. Phosphorus-containing foods

Phosphorus is an essential component for maintaining bones and teeth, and can promote the health of teeth and gums. In addition, phosphates can form a buffer system in the mouth to prevent excessive acidification of teeth, protect tooth enamel, and prevent tooth decay. Foods with high phosphorus content include soybeans, peas, chicken, fish, shrimp, oats, black sesame, etc.

Therefore, if we want to show a perfect smile, prevent oral diseases, stay away from caries and tooth erosion, in addition to doing a good job of oral hygiene and insisting on scientific brushing, we also need to learn to be "picky about food".

References:
[1] National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Results of the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey. 2017.

[2] Yue Songling. Food, sugar, nutrients and dental caries: A review and prospect of dental research over the past century. Journal of Endodontics and Periodontology (Chin J Conserv Dent) 2005, 15(8): 419-423.

[3]Norman T． Association of diet with dental caries in preschool children [J]. Den Clin Nor Am, 2005, 49(4): 725-737.

[4] Gu Hao, Tao Danying, Feng Xiping. Overview of the etiology and epidemiological survey of dental erosion. International Journal of Stomatology, 2013, 40(5): 604-607.

[5] Wang Huiyuan, Ding Liang, He Shuyang, Zhang Lin, Guo Qingyu. Correlation study on the relationship between children's diet and primary tooth caries. Journal of Clinical Stomatology, 2018, 34(7): 408-412.

[6] Zhang Qianhong, Wu Ping. Learn to eat to prevent tooth decay. Health Expo 2020, 2: 62.

[7] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022). 2022.

Author: Sheng Nan | Registered dietitian, China's best nutrition science expert Reviewer: Shi Rengfei | Professor of Shanghai Institute of Physical Education