Chew on this: while brushing, flossing and rinsing are great steps towards keeping your teeth healthy, the foods we eat are equally important in maintaining our overall dental health. Upkeeping our oral health has to take place in both the bathroom and the dining table. After all, we are what we eat.
Read on to find out the smarter way you can modify your mealtime rituals for healthier teeth.
1. Back to the basics - Water
A smarter oral-regime can be simple yet effective. All it takes is simply adding a glass of water to improve your overall dental health.
By replacing sugary drinks or coffee with water after a meal, you’re already doing your teeth a great favour. Unlike water, these beverages are likely to contain acidic elements that corrode your teeth enamel. The continuous intake of these drinks, especially after every meal, means that the protective layer of your teeth gradually wears off. This is what causes cavities.
Moreover, water can serve as the perfect palate cleanser to douse away sticky or acidic residue on your teeth after a meal. Think of it as a convenient mouthwash on tap.
2. A balanced diet
Fruits and vegetables, particularly the crunchy variants, are more than just a source of crucial vitamins and nutrients.
As you crunch down, this mini workout in your mouth helps to dislodge plaque and bacteria. Additionally, these fruits and vegetables stimulate saliva production, and saliva inhibits a layer of biofilm from forming on your teeth, preventing tooth decay and gingivitis.
Apart from being crunchy, carrots and celery also contain beta carotene. This pigment is converted to vitamin A, an important nutrient involved in building strong teeth. A smarter oral-care regime keeps both your teeth and overall well-being healthy.
3. Not too hot, not too cold
Goldilocks was definitely on to something when she settled for the perfect porridge temperature that was “Just Right.”
While there’s no real way to assess how healthy Goldilocks’ teeth were, wherever possible, you should try to cut down on extremely hot and cold foods – especially if you have sensitive teeth. The stark temperature difference can cause you discomfort and might even aggravate the pain over time. If you’re eyeing that piping hot bowl of soup or an ice-cold drink, give it a couple of minutes to let the temperature taper towards a more comfortable level.
Should teeth sensitivity be a persistent problem, you may wish to consult a dentist as it may be a sign of poor dental health.
4. Brushing towards a healthier mouth and smile
For the foodies among us, changing our dietary habits drastically can be an uneasy and lengthy transition to better oral health. As you slowly adapt towards a healthier lifestyle, there’s something familiar to us that we can easily upgrade: the toothbrush.
Not all toothbrushes are created equal though. If you use a conventional plastic toothbrush and have sensitive teeth, an incorrect brushing technique may aggravate your condition Even with soft bristles, there’s a tendency to overcompensate and brush too hard when we are in a rush.
The solution? A toothbrush that does the work for you, the right way. The ZenyumSonic™ Toothbrush features an in-built “Gentle” mode specifically for sensitive teeth. Its soft bristles vibrate at a comfortable frequency, keeping your teeth clean, healthy and pain-free.
All that with just a push of a button. Now that’s taking care of your teeth and smile, the smarter way.
