Have you ever considered how much of your health depends on your diet—whether it’s healthy or unhealthy? The things you eat—or if you don’t decide to eat at all—can directly affect how strong your smile is.
Your dentist in Jacksonville wants patients to pay attention to what they put into their bodies, and how even holding back from eating can deteriorate your mouth. It’s just important to us that you feel confident in your smile and your ability to maintain a healthy diet.
Let’s take a better look at the nutrients you need for a healthy mouth and what will happen if you avoid them.
Eating Disorders and Your Oral Health
If a patient is struggling to maintain healthy habits, one of the first people that will be able to tell is their dentist. Your smile needs vitamins and nutrients to stay strong.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, can have irreversible negative effects on a patient’s teeth and gums. In fact, the body’s first indicators of an eating disorder occur within the smile. For instance, if a patient is bulimic, the stomach acid that occurs in vomit can damage your teeth, eroding the enamel.
If a patient has an eating disorder, your dentist may notice:
- Extensive tooth decay
- Gum deterioration
- Halitosis (chronic bad breath)
- Tooth sensitivity
- Swelling in the cheeks and jaw area
Healthy Foods Help The Body!
Just like any other part of your body, your mouth needs the proper foods enriched with critical vitamins and nutrients to stay strong. Contrary to many patient’s belief, eating multiple times a day can actually help you to lose or maintain weight depending on the substances you choose to eat. When indulging in these foods, they can lose or maintain weight. The next time you’re grocery shopping, pick up nutritious foods full of vitamins and minerals like these:
Eat Lots of Fruits and Vegetables!
Fruits and veggies are some of the best foods for your smile. Their crunchy nature naturally scrubs your teeth free of debris when you chew. They also help produce natural saliva. Creating more natural saliva is beneficial to your teeth because it neutralizes acids, contains natural calcium, and even embodies natural phosphates that help rebuild minerals that keep your smile strong.
Drink water every day—with every meal!
Water is the best thing for your health—especially oral health. Water also keeps your mouth hydrated so you don’t suffer from the effects of dry mouth or develop chronic bad breath. Not to mention, you can drink fluoride-enriched water to strengthen your tooth enamel!
Crunchy nuts are a great snack, too!
Snack on peanuts to increase your levels of calcium and vitamin D. Almonds are also full of calcium and cashews stimulate natural saliva flow. Walnuts contain the highest amounts of fiber, folic acid, iron, thiamine, magnesium, iron, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin B6, potassium, and zinc.
Have you been more self-conscious about what you eat or how your smile looks and feels? Before an eating disorder gets out of hand, the best thing to do is discuss your concerns with a professional like your dentist so that they can help you discover the path to a healthy lifestyle.
About Our Doctors
Our dental professionals truly care about the health of our patients—that goes for their teeth, systematic health, and mental health, too. If you’re struggling to come to terms with how an eating disorder may be hurting you and your smile, Dr. Nawrocki and Dr. Aguila are here to help you. Our dentists will partner with your general dentist to ensure that you get the assistance you need. If you have any questions, feel free to call our Jacksonville office.