Foods That Are Natural Plaque Fighters
Out with friends? On the road? Sometimes, carrying around a toothbrush to keep your pearly whites clean isn't so easy. When brushing and flossing isn't a convenient option, you can still keep your teeth and mouth clean and feeling fresh simply by eating delicious, healthy food. In fact, you're probably eating many of these foods on a regular basis anyway and helping fight plaque without even knowing it.
An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away And Tooth Decay, Too!
This goes for most crunchy fruits and vegetables as well. Apples, carrots and celery are just a few examples of foods that require extra chewing which produces saliva that neutralizes bacteria that can cause cavities. Plus, chomping on naturally abrasive foods removes stuck-on food particles, massages gums, and cleans between teeth too. If you're in orthodontic treatment, make sure you cut hard, crunchy foods like apples and carrots into bite-size pieces before eating to avoid damage to your braces.
Water, Water, Water!
Drinking water keeps your gums hydrated and is the best way to stimulate saliva, your body's greatest defense against the bacteria that cause plaque and cavities. Rinsing your mouth with water also helps wash away trapped food particles and cause bad breath. If you can't brush after eating, the most important thing you can do to prevent cavities is rinse your mouth with water.
Use Natural Acidity
Limes, lemons, and oranges contain a natural acidity which helps increase the production of saliva to wash away the food you have eaten. Because these acidic fruits also have a high concentration of water in them, they aid the tooth rinsing process as well and help keep your mouth free from harmful bacteria. It's important to follow up with a drink of water to remove any excess citric acid though, as this can also eat away at your tooth enamel.
Be Green With Tea
Green tea contains substances called catechins that kill the bacteria in your mouth that turn sugar into plaque. Catechins also wipe out the bacteria that cause bad breath. So, instead of reaching for that can of soda, steep some green tea instead!
Say Cheese!
Cheese, which is low in carbohydrates and high in calcium, provides several benefits to your teeth. It helps to balance your mouth's acidity level, preserves and rebuilds tooth enamel, prevents plaque, and produces saliva which kills the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.
Protect Your Teeth And Gums with Sugarless Gum
The xylitol in many sugarless gums helps to prevent plaque, aids in producing saliva, and can help remove food stuck to your teeth after a meal. Plus, chewing sugar-free gum keeps your breath smelling great!
Of course, no food or drink can take the place of daily brushing and flossing; but when you're on the go, you can still take a bite out of tooth daily.