Healthy teeth diet: tips and tricks

A healthy diet is a balanced and varied mixed diet that contains little sugar and acids and provides the teeth with important minerals. In addition, chewing ingredients are beneficial because they stimulate the flow of saliva so that harmful bacteria can be flushed away more easily.

A healthy diet: less sugar

You certainly know that eating sugar is harmful to your teeth. Still, few people want or are able to give up sugar completely. You don't have to, as long as you keep your sugar intake in check. Maybe just try sweetening your morning cereal or dessert a little less - every spoonful of sugar saved is a win for your dental health.

Also, make sure you don't eat sweets throughout the day. If you enjoy a bread roll with jam once a day, for example for breakfast, your mouth will be able to defend itself well against the acid attack from saliva. If you brush your teeth afterwards, you will have fulfilled your dental health obligations. If, on the other hand, you indulge in a small piece of chocolate every hour, your teeth will be continuously attacked by bacteria, which can quickly lead to tooth decay.

Tooth-healthy diet: fewer acids

Acidic foods and drinks do not necessarily have to taste sour. Fruit juices and numerous types of fruit, for example, contain acids, as do vinegar or acid drops. Acids can soften tooth enamel and dissolve out minerals. Your dentist refers to this as acid-induced enamel breakdown or dental erosion. Your teeth will become thinner as well as more sensitive and generally more susceptible to dental disease.

As with sugar, the same applies to acids: You won't want to do without them completely in everyday life - especially since fruit also provides your body with valuable vitamins. It is important that you do not brush your teeth immediately after eating acidic foods or fruit, because this can clean away the softened enamel. It is better to wait about 30 minutes so that the enamel can be stabilized again by the saliva. It is also advisable to rinse the mouth well with clear water before brushing.

A healthy diet: more calcium

Calcium strengthens the bones and also the teeth. Our bodies contain around one kilogram of this valuable mineral, but we cannot produce calcium ourselves. For a healthy diet, adults should therefore consume around 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day, and children as much as 1,200 milligrams.

Calcium is found primarily in milk and dairy products. The calcium content of Parmesan cheese is particularly high. Here it is 1,300 milligrams per 100 grams. If you eat a vegan diet or do without dairy products for some other reason, you can also eat poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Mushrooms and dark vegetables such as kale, leeks or broccoli are also considered good sources of calcium. An overdose is hardly possible because the body regulates the calcium level in the blood itself.

Calcium is also present in our saliva, which helps remineralize tooth enamel and neutralize acids. If you want to stimulate the flow of saliva after a meal, you can chew sugar-free gum.

A healthy diet: more fluoride

Eating foods that contain fluoride is recommended because fluoride hardens tooth enamel, protecting it from decay. Fluoride is found in fish and, to some extent, in mineral water. In addition, fluoridated salt can be used for cooking. However, fluoride is also contained in most toothpastes and is even more effective in this external application.