Which foods should you put on the table to preserve the natural health of your mouth and the brightness of your teeth?
Your smile is your calling card: it is how you present yourself to others. A dazzling smile is therefore a real advantage in both personal and professional relationships.
Keeping your teeth white, strong and healthy is not so simple, because enamel is attacked every day by many enemies, such as cigarette smoke (including electronic cigarettes) or the acidity of certain foods and drinks, such as fizzy drinks, coffee, sugar and so on.
To stop teeth from staining and yellowing, alongside normal daily dental hygiene and regular dental check-ups, it is important to choose a diet that is gentle on enamel. So let’s look at the main allies of our smile.
Fruit
Fruit in general, mainly thanks to its vitamins and mineral salts, helps keep teeth bright for longer. Once absorbed by the body, these micronutrients strengthen both the tooth structure and the enamel, and they also boost the immune system so that it neutralises the action of harmful bacteria more quickly.
The health benefits of apples have always been known, but perhaps not everyone knows that they help keep the dentist away as well as the doctor. The credit seems to go to malic acid, which stimulates saliva production, helping to counter external attacks and maintain the protective film on the teeth. Strawberries, long considered a tooth-whitening fruit, are also rich in it. Pineapple, on the other hand, helps keep teeth white for longer and reduces yellowing thanks to the bromelain it contains.
Vegetables
Vegetables should always be on our table, because they are a main source of mineral salts and vitamins, which are essential for the wellbeing of the body and therefore of the teeth as well.
Of the many vegetables recommended for a beautiful smile, broccoli seems to be the most effective. Rich in fibre, it helps remove food debris even from the spaces between the teeth that are hard to reach with an ordinary toothbrush. Its high iron content also stimulates the enamel’s natural defences. Celery, by stimulating saliva, stops food pigments from getting past the film on the teeth and reduces gum inflammation.
Cheese and dairy products
Often the target of negative campaigns, cheese and dairy products are in fact excellent allies of our smile. Dairy products work in two ways: they provide a steady supply of calcium, a mineral essential for healthy teeth, and they stimulate saliva production. Calcium strengthens the roots and hardens the enamel, making it less vulnerable to aggressive substances. The more resistant the enamel is to external agents, the less likely it is to yellow or stain. Cheese and dairy products also stimulate the production of saliva which, as we know, contains natural elements that fight acidity and the harmful action of certain bacteria, so preserving the health of the mouth.
As we have seen, a tooth is not a static structure but a dynamic one: every time we eat, the pH in our mouth changes. The more acidic it becomes, the weaker the tooth enamel gets, encouraging the formation of plaque, tartar and tooth decay. Crunchy fruit and vegetables help clean the teeth, while milk and dairy products protect the enamel. It is therefore a good idea to finish a meal with a small piece of cheese, and in any case to drink a glass of water to restore the pH after eating acidic foods. It is also advisable to wait at least forty minutes after a meal before brushing your teeth, because straight after eating the mouth is more acidic and the teeth are weaker.
