What we eat and how often we eat are the essential things required to keep our mouth clean and healthy. To maintain a healthy oral cavity, you should follow a diet that comprises of tooth-friendly foods and drinks. Most people are not aware of the effects of the drinks they consume on their teeth. Similar to foods and snacks, the fluids you drink also leave their traces that have a strong impact on the teeth.
Here are some of the most consumed drinks and beverages. Regular intake of some of these will strengthen your teeth whilst the remaining will hurt your teeth.
Drinks that are good for your mouth
1) Water
Staying hydrated is a simple way to prevent common oral problems like cavities, teeth discoloration. When our mouth becomes dry, the oral bacteria multiply to put the teeth, gums, tongue and other tissues inside the mouth at risk of infection. Drinking a sip of water at regular intervals flushes away those harmful microbes and it results in preventing bad breath, dry mouth and other serious dental disorders.
2) Milk
Milk comprises vitamins, proteins and other mineral compounds that benefit your oral cavity. This is why dentists recommend milk and other dairy products as a home remedy for certain dental diseases.
Vitamin D present in milk helps enamel remineralization to repair and strengthen the teeth. Meanwhile, Vitamin D aids in preventing gum diseases and take care of alleviating the inflammation in gums. Milk contains a protein called casein that empowers the teeth to combat oral bacteria and restrain the formation of biofilm called “Plaque” over the teeth surfaces.
3) Green Tea
Green tea is a healthy beverage as it is packed with antioxidants and nutrients that help in anti-aging, lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, reduce diabetes and much more. Likewise, it also helps in preventing cavities and gum tissues. Drinking green tea can soothe the infected gum tissues.
4) Low Sugar Vegetable juice
Vegetables & fruits like carrot, broccoli, cucumber, pineapple, celery, and others are loaded with the mineral compounds indispensable to boost our oral health. Consumption of the juice extracted from the dark green vegetables and leafy greens is highly recommended to keep your mouth clean & healthy.Drinks that are bad for your mouth
Some drinks you take to refresh yourselves have harmful effects on your teeth and gums. A few of them are listed here.
1) Soft Drinks
Soft drinks like soda, cola are carbonated drinks that are processed and contain excess sugar substances. Too much consumption of those drinks leaves sugar deposits on your teeth. This leads to damage and erodes the enamel. If you do not brush your teeth properly, the leftover sugar substances combine with saliva to accumulate on the teeth and produce a thin biofilm called “Plaque”. It requires in-office dental cleaning treatments for removal.
2) Wine
Wine – The alcoholic drink prepared from fermented grapes is highly acidic. Remember that acidic substances are powerful to weaken the teeth enamel. On the other hand, alcohol absorbs the saliva in your mouth and leaves your mouth dry. As mentioned earlier, people with dry mouth bare highly susceptible to cavities, bad breath, gum diseases, and other serious oral problems. Besides this, overconsumption of alcohol will discolor your teeth.
Note: Taking cheese after drinking wine will offer a protective coating to preserve your mouth from dental illness.
3) Energy Drinks
Even though the energy drinks comprise electrolytes to boost yourselves, they are not good for your teeth. This is because of the sugar and acidic substances in those fluids. This weakens the enamel and leads to enamel erosion.
You don’t need to give up your energy drinks. We recommend limiting the consumption and rinse well your mouth after intake of the fluid.
Bottom line
We do not enforce you to leave your favorite drinks and beverages. We have just highlighted a few drinks that benefit and hurt your oral health Try to limit the level of consumption and develop habits like using a straw while drinking cool drinks and energy drinks. Similarly, you can reduce the harmful impact of those drinks on your teeth with effective oral hygiene actions.
