Find out how your diet, oral health and general health are linked.
Most people are aware of the impact their diet has on their general health. Simply put, eat too many unhealthy foods and your general health will suffer.
But what about how your diet affects your oral health? What about how your oral health affects your general health?
Diet, oral health and general health are all linked together and every day new discoveries are showing us why we should pay more attention.
Teeth and general health
For some time now, the link between your oral health and general health has been known. For example, Periodontitis (Gum Disease) has an association with poorly controlled diabetes, heart disease and pre-term and low-weight births. Tooth decay puts you at risk of infections, toothache and tooth loss which is associated with poorer overall nutrition, self-esteem issues and even dementia.
Of course, if your diet is high in sugar you at at higher risk of many health issues. At Method Dental, our job is to help you to prevent tooth decay and other oral health diseases. And the good news is that almost all oral diseases, like gum disease and tooth decay, are easily preventable.
You see, the germs that live inside your mouth have a favourite food: SUGAR.
Diet and teeth
The germs eat sugar and they turn that sugar into acid. This acid then dissolves your tooth and over time, this results in tooth decay. Tooth decay can turn very nasty. And we're not just worried about cavities or holes in your teeth that require repair, but toothaches and serious infections!
Now it's important to say here that we're not telling you to cut out sugar from your diet completely - we're not that mean! We want you to ensure you're not eating or drinking too much sugar too frequently. Snacking frequently in general can cause your risk of suffering tooth decay to rise!
So, please be conscious of how your diet is affecting your oral health.
You can always find out more by visiting us at Method Dental, or by following us on social media as we are always putting out the best oral health prevention content there as well!
Here are some helpful dietary tips in the meantime:
- Try to limit snacking throughout the day
- Be wary of the added sugar in snacks that may appear to be healthier like muesli bars and some yoghurts
- When snacking, try to choose healthy options like cheese, nuts, fruits and vegetables
- Limit intake of sugary drinks including soft drinks, fruit juices, cordials and energy drinks
- Drink plenty of tap water to help your saliva to protect your teeth and boost your exposure to fluoride to help prevent tooth decay