Health is on your mind. You just saw your dentist in Danville and completed all your annual check-ups! You’re looking to boost your health further, so you begin looking for a diet to kickstart a new routine. However, it’s essential to consider its holistic effect on your overall health when selecting a diet. While bodily health is essential, oral health also dramatically affects your well-being. Check out these three diet trends below to learn about the potential health risks, as well as how to adjust them to protect your oral health.
1–Juice Detox Damage
Going on a juice detox is a popular way to “clean out” digestive systems. The health benefits of increasing fruits and vegetables in your diet seem apparent. However, juice diets lack many nutrients and fiber necessary to support your oral health. Like soda, even natural juice contains notable amounts of sugar. Continually exposing your mouth to high levels of sugar could result in enamel damage and increased levels of bacteria around your teeth and gums, which may trigger decay or cavities. Additionally, this low-calorie diet could weaken the collagen fibers that support your teeth, risking tooth loss over a prolonged period.
How to Prevent It
Many nutrition experts argue that detoxifying your digestive system is not necessary. Simply including healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables in your diet already promotes a very healthy digestive system. You can drink the juice through a straw to reduce the sugar’s contact on your teeth and gums if you take the juice detox route. Also, if you recently drank a glass of juice, wait before brushing your teeth to avoid scrubbing off any softened enamel.
2–Keto
Keto is a highly popularized diet that burns fat instead of carbohydrates. While there isn’t much research yet to determine how keto affects teeth and gums, it is widely known that keto causes halitosis, also known as bad breath.
How to Prevent It
Because some forms of bad breath are caused by the types of food you consume, the root cause of this effect cannot be fully mitigated without increasing carbohydrates. However, bad breath may be reduced by increasing your water intake, practicing good oral hygiene, and masking the odor with mints or gum.
3–Raw/Unprocessed Food Diet
While eating natural fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds can boost your physical health, this diet could also introduce a few health threats. Like fruit juice detoxes, high consumption of sweet fruits can lead to potential cavities or tooth decay. Tiny seeds and nuts can get stuck between teeth, inviting bacteria growth or inflamed gums. The more difficult the raw food is to chew, the more likely dental erosion will occur.
How to Prevent It
Make sure that your diet includes plenty of soft foods too. Slicing foods such as apples and lightly cooking vegetables can reduce your risk of dental erosion. Keeping a solid dental hygiene routine that includes flossing can be a great help in reducing bacteria around your teeth too.
Don’t let your diet rob you of pristine oral health. Make a few adjustments to your plan to ensure you cover all your bases while pursuing the healthiest version of yourself.
About the Practice
Danville Dental Associates is composed of 11 highly skilled dentists eager to answer your questions and deliver the finest treatment possible. If your teeth have taken a toll from a recent or past diet change you’ve made, our team is equipped to help you track down the root of the problem and restore your oral health. Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions about your diet at our website or call (434) 799-8835.