Dental Super Foods: Yogurt
As well as being tasty, yoghurt also helps to protect your teeth and gums. Below is a guide to the ways in which yoghurt can help to boost your dental health.
Yoghurt supplies vitamins and minerals
Yoghurt is a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals. Yoghurt contains casein, calcium and phosphorus, which are all required to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Phosphorus and calcium help to remineralize the outer layer of enamel on your teeth, repairing tooth decay caused by sugars and acids. Casein helps to repair the proteins within the tooth and protects against future damage.
Yoghurt helps you to beat bacteria
Yoghurt is made using fermented milk. Fermented milk contains high levels of probiotic bacteria. Probiotic bacteria are also known as 'good bacteria' because of the positive effect they have on your body's well being. 'Good bacteria' help to combat the damage caused by bad bacteria by replacing them in your mouth. Dealing with harmful bacteria in this way will also contribute to improving your breath.
Yoghurt can combat discomfort
If you have recently had a tooth removed or you are experiencing problems with gum disease, eating yoghurt is an easy way to consume nutritious food which also helps to reduce the level of inflammation and pain you are experiencing.
Yoghurt can also help to relieve symptoms associated with dry mouth syndrome. People who have dry mouth syndrome do not produce adequate amounts of saliva. The lack of saliva causes their mouth to feel uncomfortable and dry. A dry mouth can cause damage to your teeth and gums, as it creates the ideal conditions for harmful bacteria to thrive. Eating yoghurt can help to keep your mouth moist while also encouraging the production of saliva to help to protect your dental health.
While it is clear that eating yoghurt can offer a range of dental health benefits, it should be noted that you should only eat natural and plain yoghurts. If you chose a flavoured yoghurt, there is a good chance it will contain a large amount of sugar and other additives which can cause extensive damage to your oral health.
If you would like more information about foods which can help you to maintain your dental health until your next check-up, you should contact your dentist today. They will be able to explain which foods and drinks you should include or remove from your diet to look after your teeth and gums.
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