While there is no replacement for daily brushing and flossing when it comes to keeping your children’s teeth healthy and clean, there are a few different types of food that can help!
Eating wholesome, nutritious food is an important part of keeping children’s teeth healthy and strong. Nutritionally dense foods contain lots of vitamins and minerals that support oral health.
When it comes to cleaning teeth, the first and most important line of defense is a thorough and consistent daily brushing and flossing routine. However, there’s are certain steps you can take to keep teeth a bit cleaner between brushing and flossing sessions, and these include foods and drinks that can help remove bacteria and plaque from teeth.
The following are 5 types of foods that can help keep teeth clean.
Cheese - Cheese contains calcium and phosphate, which together help keep the pH levels in the mouth balanced. It also preserves and rebuilds enamel, and most importantly in this context, produces saliva, which plays an important role in washing the bacteria and plaque off the teeth.
Fruit - Certain fruits contain natural abrasive elements, allowing them to gently ‘scrub’ teeth when eaten. Of course, they’re nowhere near a replacement for brushing, but can give your teeth a cleanliness boost throughout the day. Try apples, kiwis, and strawberries for this naturally abrasive effect.
Vegetables - Crunchy veggies like celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and cucumbers can help clean gums because they require more chewing the break down. Onions contain antibacterial sulfur compounds, and tests show that they kill various types of bacteria, especially when raw. Celery produces saliva, which neutralizes acid that causes demineralization and cavities, and helps wash bacteria away.
Water - Water is important in keeping teeth clean for a couple of reasons. First, staying hydrated helps the mouth produce enough saliva to properly wash away bacteria and plaque, and water is of course the best drink to keep you hydrated. But water itself also flushes that bacteria and plaque away while you drink it. If ever you find yourself needing to clean your teeth without a toothbrush at hand, pour yourself a glass of water and swish as a stopgap cleaning method.
Whole Grains - Whole grains are high in fibre. High-fiber foods keep saliva flowing, which as you by now know, is important is flushing away bacteria and plaque. Foods such as bran, brown rice, whole-grain cereals and pasta are good choices for whole grains.