Ever heard the phrase, “you are what you eat”? Your diet will play a major role in your overall wellness, but you might not realize that the foods you eat can affect your gums as well. This connective tissue keeps your teeth firmly in place in your mouth, and if you develop gum disease, an infection of the gum tissue, then you could face serious oral health consequences.
Preventive care to avoid contracting gum disease and other periodontal problems is crucial to promote good oral health. And adhering to a nutritious and balanced diet will help you keep gum disease at bay.
Certain food items can prove especially helpful to your gums, so make sure you reach out to your dentist to learn more about this preventive dental care. Read on to discover four foods you should include in your diet to improve your gum health.
Apples
Many dentists appreciate apples as an alternative to sugary or acidic snacks if you crave something sweet. This can keep your teeth healthy, but it will bring benefits to your gums too.
When you bite into fibrous fruits like apples, the hard skin will scrape plaque and other residues from your teeth as you eat. This boosts your oral hygiene, and less plaque on your teeth will reduce the spread of your natural oral bacteria.
Excess oral bacteria will travel to infect your gum tissue. So you can lower your risk of gum disease when you enhance your oral hygiene by including apples in your diet.
Yogurt
Dairy products make for great sources of calcium, a mineral that strengthens the teeth. But yogurt in particular will also enhance your periodontal health.
This is because it features probiotics that work to keep bacteria throughout your body balanced, including in your mouth. With less wayward oral bacteria, you can worry less about contracting oral infections like gum disease.
Salmon
Oily fish like salmon are known for being rich sources of omega-3s, an essential fat suggested to have anti-inflammatory properties. Infections like gum disease will cause inflammation in the gums as bacteria aggravate the soft tissue. This will leave patients with symptoms like swelling, bleeding, soreness, and tenderness in the gums.
Salmon and other anti-inflammatory foods can alleviate some of these conditions to bring comfort to patients with gum disease. While you can find some relief this way, you still require treatment from a dentist to eradicate gum disease for good. The infection will not go away of its own accord.
Water
Some people might argue that water does not qualify as a food item. But no one can discount the benefits that drinking water will bring to your gums. Water will rinse away harmful particles from your teeth that might otherwise contribute to plaque formation, helping you avoid gum disease.
Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water will also stop dry mouth, a condition that makes your mouth feel sticky and dry. Dry mouth allows bacteria to spread with greater ease, increasing dangers of gum disease. So make sure you drink water to avoid dehydration and therefore gum problems.