785-437-2771To give yourself a healthy smile, you will want to maintain a healthy oral hygiene routine along with a balanced diet. For excellent dental health, we recommend eating a variety of foods, while limiting those high in sugars and starches. At St. Marys Dental Center, our dentist recommends a balanced diet to boost your oral health in St. Marys, Kansas.
Sugary, starchy snacks produce the most acids in the mouth and tend to damage your teeth the longer they are allowed to remain there. Foods which can damage your smile include candies, cakes, pies and cookies, dried fruits, and sugary gum. Starches include such items as breadsticks, chips, and crackers.
Healthier, smile-friendly foods include the following:
–Milk, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and kale which provide calcium for your pearly whites.
–Foods high in phosphorous, such as meat and milk, and cereals.
–Foods high in vitamin D, which can be found in oily fish like salmon and tuna, along with milk and other foods where it is added in.
–Foods high in protein to supply your smile with amino acids. This includes lean red meat, fish and poultry, cheese, milk and yogurt, quinoa and soy products, along with peas, kale, spinach, broccoli, and sprouts, just to name a few.
Along with a healthy, balanced diet to ensure strong teeth and gums, be sure to maintain high oral care standards. This means brushing at least twice a day, flossing once a day, and dental checkups at least once every six months for professional cleanings.
If you would like to schedule your next dental visit with our dentist in St. Marys, Kansas, please call 785-437-2771 today. Dr. Jay Hildreth and our entire team look forward to helping you create your healthiest smile!