After a couple of years of quarantine, you may have gained a little bit of weight. Right now is the time to shed this excess pounds and take control of your health.
Perhaps you want to try a diet you’ve heard about from celebrities. What works for them could work for you, right?
Wait! Although your waistline may benefit from these diets, you could put your smile at risk. Read on to learn which diets can be detrimental to oral health and how you can protect your teeth and gums.
Fad Diets That Could Harm Your Smile
Before you begin any diet program, you need to look at it critically to make sure it is safe, not just for your body but for your mouth as well. Here are a couple of popular weight-loss diets that, upon closer inspection, can pose a threat to your oral health.
Juice Cleanse
Juice cleanses are touted as the ideal way to clear out your digestive system and reduce bloating. Consisting primarily of fruits with some vegetables, the juice in this diet can have you feeling lighter and leaner.
But if you stick only to juices, you miss out on an important part of these nutritious foods: fiber. Fiber not only keeps you full longer, but fibrous foods like broccoli and spinach also make your mouth produce saliva, which rinses your mouth of acids and food debris.
In addition, juice cleanses tend to have a higher concentration of sugar and acidic content, which are prime ingredients for oral health issues. Harmful bacteria feed on sugar and produce eroding acids, leading to decay and infection.
Raw Foods
At first, the idea of eating food raw sounds perfect for weight control. Whether you’re having fruits and vegetables, raw seeds, or nuts, these foods can give you the nutrients your body needs without added preservatives or unnecessary chemicals that more processed foods contain.
However, this diet comes with some risks for your oral health. Seeds can easily get stuck between teeth and allow plaque to form in a difficult-to-reach area. Raw foods are also much harder to chew, which could lead to more wear and tear on your teeth.
How to Keep Your Smile Strong as You Diet
Regardless of which diet you end up choosing to lose or manage your weight, you can limit the impact on your oral health by making sure these habits are part of your lifestyle:
- Brushing your teeth for two minutes twice daily, perhaps more frequently as needed.
- Flossing at least once every day.
- Regular dental checkups and professional cleanings.
In addition, you should consider drinking more water, especially after eating or drinking juice to wash away some of the sugar or bits of food that could remain in your mouth.
Ultimately, you need to find a diet plan that works for you, but you don’t have to endanger your oral health in the process. Make sure your teeth and gums stay healthy so that you can enjoy smiling when you lose unwanted weight!
About the Practice
At Beach Dental, Dr. Jason Parli and Dr. Alexis Gersten are proud to help patients achieve and keep healthy smiles. For more than 20 years, they have continued to hone their clinical skills through continuing education. Although they are trained to treat severe and serious conditions, they prefer to treat patients early on and prevent problems entirely. If you would like to schedule an appointment at Beach Dental, you can contact the office at 631-325-0731 or online here.