Summer is the best time to enjoy good food with good company.
Ice cream, ice-cold sodas, and other sugary snacks may be refreshing, but indulging in them too much will harm your teeth.
Fruits are an excellent alternative to these sugary snacks. They provide us with various vitamins and minerals that help keep our bodies healthy. However, some are harmful to your teeth due to their acidity or natural sugars. However, indulging in them won’t be a problem if you eat healthily and follow a good oral hygiene regimen.
Learn which fruits are good for teeth and why you should avoid some with Sunrise Dentistry.
Best Fruits for Teeth and Gums
Summer is the best time to consume many seasonal fruits. Here are some of the best fruits for teeth health to add to your diet or fruit bowl:
Strawberries
Strawberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C for your teeth. They help remove stubborn surface stains from your teeth. They also have collagen that helps fight against gum disease and calcium that promotes strong bones and teeth.
Strawberries are best eaten without sugar. You can also increase their stain-removal capabilities by adding a bit of baking soda after smashing it into a pulp. This helps brighten your teeth naturally without tasting like medicine.
Banana
Did you know? Bananas are technically a berry. Also, they are one of the best fruits for teeth and gums; they whiten teeth, don’t stick to your teeth, and you can use the inside of the peel to increase the number of vitamins and minerals your teeth absorb. Push the banana peel against your teeth for about two minutes every time you eat it. This helps your teeth absorb the manganese and potassium banana contains.
Watermelon
Watermelon is one of the best fruits for teeth and gums to eat this summer due to the Vitamin C boost, gentle cleansing, and antioxidant wash it provides your gums and teeth that help reduce your risk of developing gum disease. Watermelon also helps boost the immune system.
Apples
Doctors are not the only people apples keep away; they keep dentists away too. Apples are good fruits for teeth health because they help clean your teeth and increase salivation, which helps neutralize citric acid and malic acids in your mouth. Don’t drink sugary apple juice; it has lots of sugar that can cause tooth decay. Choose fresh fruit instead; their fibrous texture helps stimulate gums and reduces cavity-causing bacteria.
Pears
Like apples, pears are great at neutralizing the acids in your mouth that can harm your teeth and cause tooth decay. Their crunchy texture and high water content also stimulate saliva that washes bacteria away.
What makes pears such good fruits for teeth health is that they are rich in Vitamin C but are 100 times less acidic than other Vitamin C-rich fruits like limes and oranges. This makes damage to tooth enamel less likely.
Berries
Berries like cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries are fruits good for teeth because of their anthocyanins that keep harmful bacteria from attaching to teeth.
Cranberries are rich in polyphenols, which are chemicals naturally found in most of the food we consume. they provide lots of benefits, like their antioxidant properties that help fight cancer and reduce inflammation.
Avoid dried and packaged cranberries; they contain lots of sugar that may harm your teeth. Choose fresh cranberries, which have compounds shown to inhibit enzymes involved in bacteria formation that causes plaque and eventually tooth decay.
Kiwis
Kiwis are fruits good for teeth because of their fiber and calcium content that strengthens teeth enamel and neutralizes the acids and the mouth. They are also rich in Vitamin C. However, watch out for their seeds. Yes, their seeds are rich in antioxidants, fiber, proteins, and omega-3, but they tend to get stuck between teeth. Drinks lots of water, floss, or chew sugar-free gum to remove them.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are another example of fruits for teeth health. They are an excellent source of dietary fiber, which helps improve dental health. Chewing on them helps massage your gums and remove surface plaque, and their juice benefits people with gum and tooth disease because of their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Eating them after an intense oral surgery may help soothe any pain you experience.
Peaches
Peaches have such wonderful colors and a sweet and tangy taste to match. They are also good fruits for teeth health because they are rich in minerals like potassium, fluoride, and iron, which makes them great for fighting inflammation and cavities.
Is Fruit Bad for Your Teeth?
Fruits offer us many health benefits that make our bodies stronger against diseases and keep our skin, nails, and hair healthy. However, some are too sweet, and some are too acidic. Fruits have natural sugars that may linger on the teeth and give cavity-causing bacteria the nourishment they need to wreak havoc in your mouth. Acid from pineapples or citrus fruits also helps bacteria harm your teeth by weakening your teeth’s enamel, which may lead to increased sensitivity, cracks, and discoloration.
Don’t think you can’t enjoy these fruits anymore. Drink water while eating them, or rinse your mouth with water afterward to neutralize any acids these fruits may leave. Brush your teeth as soon as you can if they leave stains.
Are Dried Fruits Good for Teeth?
Dried fruits may seem like a healthy snack, but they’re not. Aside from having lots of sugar, they are also very sticky. According to the American Dental Association, dried fruits stick to teeth and the spaces between them, which leaves sugar behind. However, experts have limited data and will need to do more research.
You can still eat dried fruit if you like, but remember to rinse your mouth with water and floss afterward. Eating fresh fruit is still the best way to enjoy these fruits for teeth health because they don’t have as much sugar as dried ones.
Enjoy the Fruits of Summer with Sunrise Dentistry
We won’t say no to delicious fruits for teeth health. Have fun this summer, but don’t forget to pay our dentists in Durango, CO, a visit for your regular dental checkups. Aside from a thorough and professional tooth cleaning, they also provide cosmetic dentistry services to help you have a beautiful smile for all seasons. Call us today and take a step closer to a healthier and brighter smile.
