There is much more to a healthy, beautiful smile than oral hygiene and routine, quality dental care.
Yes, those are an incredibly important part of protecting your oral health.
But when it comes to prevention, you need to go a step further by maintaining a healthy daily diet.
Our team at Bayou Dental Group in Monroe, LA wants to make sure you always have the tools to take great care of your teeth and gums.
That’s why today, we’re paying particular attention to a surprising way you can prevent tooth decay and other problems that threaten your oral health.
It’s fiber, and you’re about to discover why it’s a great source of nutrients for your mouth and your body.
What Fiber Can Do For Your Smile!
You’ve probably heard about the high fiber in green, leafy vegetables and other foods and what it can do for your health, but you may be surprised to learn what fiber can actually do for your smile!
The immediate benefit of eating many of the nuts and vegetables that contain a lot of fiber is that they involve extra effort in crunching and chewing. This is great for your teeth and gums because the chewing will generate plenty of saliva production inside your mouth.
What that means is you get the bacteria-fighting compounds from the saliva, as well as a protective barrier to shield your teeth and gums from bad bacteria.
So the consequential benefit from all that saliva is the prevention of tooth decay and other dental problems!
More Reasons To Smile About Fiber!
The benefits of fiber go far beyond protecting your teeth and gums. Getting enough fiber in your daily diet can actually promote healthy systemic function all throughout your body!
Experts say that a high-fiber diet can:
*Aid digestion
*Promote gut health
*Make weight loss easier
*Stabilize blood sugar levels
*Lower bad cholesterol
So how can you add more fiber to your diet?
First, it helps to understand the two classifications of fiber: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber will break down in water and materialize into a gel that’s responsible for the sugar and cholesterol stabilization in your body. You can incorporate soluble fiber into your diet by eating more apples, citrus, oats, peas, and carrots.
Insoluble fiber is the type that promotes better gut health and regularity. You’ll find insoluble fiber in foods like nuts, potatoes, green beans, and cauliflower.
Eating your fiber is more advantageous for your smile and overall health than receiving it via supplements, but that doesn’t mean supplements are bad. It’s just that all supplements are different, so you would want to check the labels for ingredients that will make this ingestion counterproductive, like added sugar.
The point is that you know what fiber can do for your body and your teeth and are aware of how to get as much of it from your food as you can each and everyday.
Call Us For An Appointment
In regard to your oral health, a balanced, nutritious diet is a key component of prevention.
Regular dental cleanings and exams are another important part of protecting your mouth from tooth decay and the negative effects that can follow. Only a trained professional has what it takes to remove plaque and tartar buildup that threaten your teeth and gums from harmful bacteria.
Let Dr. Finley and our team at Bayou Dental Group be your trusted source for quality care, early detection, and effective dental treatment to protect your smile!
Call our Monroe, LA dental office today at 318-323-9303 or fill out our online form to request an appointment for your next cleaning and exam.