Enhance your Dental Health – Go Green!

Every day on the news you hear health gurus advising us that a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise is essential to your health. Did you realize that the addition of green fruits and vegetables to your diet can benefit your oral health as well? If you have yet to “go green,” this is one of easiest ways to enhance the health of your teeth, gums, and overall general health. Nutrition experts have called dark green vegetables (such as kale or spinach) “super foods”, but they rarely speak about the dental health benefits of these dark green veggies.

Go Green

Too much acid in your system can contribute to inflammation. Dark green veggies and fruits help to reduce the amount of acid, and balance your pH levels. Inflammation isn’t limited to one part of the body, your gums can become inflamed when pH levels are off. While there are other causes of gum inflammation, aka gingivitis, too much acid is certainly one of them. Fight inflamed gums and periodontal disease by introducing dark green fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Another benefit to dark green leafy vegetables is their high levels of calcium and folic acid (a good acid). Calcium in not only beneficial for bones, but also helps build and maintain tooth enamel. According to the American Dental Association, folic acid – a B vitamin, has been found to mitigate and treat inflammation of the gum tissue seen in pregnant women.

Make a Green Smoothie!

Don’t love those raw greens? One way to increase your intake of these valuable foods is to make your own smoothie. Once you get beyond the color, you’ll find that they actually taste great! Blend spinach, cucumber, kale, lettuce, and zucchini with fruit. A delicious addition to your green smoothie is yogurt, another calcium-laden food. Yogurt, without added sugar, has been shown to strengthen teeth and prevent bad breath while adding a creamy consistency. As yogurt contains probiotics, which help to overrun the bad bacteria with good, it can decrease the development of tooth decay.

Nutrient-dense smoothies are tooth and gum friendly additions to your dental routine of brushing, flossing and regular dental hygiene sessions. At your next visit, ask Drs. Hochberg and Diora for their suggestions to assist with planning your tooth-friendly nutritious diet.

Comments are closed.