Top 5 Foods That Help To Reduce Tooth Sensitivity

Dairy Products

Firstly with our foods that help to reduce sensitivity, we have dairy products! Dairy products are high in calcium, which helps to protect and strengthen the enamel, to reduce the risk of tooth decay. Not only does it help your teeth, mouth and gums, but it helps to keep the rest of your bones healthy too. Try to avoid dairy products that contain high levels of sugar or fat, like very fatty cheeses or flavoured milks and yoghurts, as this can detract from the positive effects, whilst also usually containing less calcium. Instead, stick to things like greek yoghurt, normal milk and regular cheeses like cheddar. If you’re vegan, often dairy free alternatives are fortified with calcium so will have a similar effect, otherwise you could access calcium through other avenues like supplements, or eat it through your diet with tofu, beans, kale, sweet potatoes, chia seeds and almonds. Effective pain management for tooth sensitivity involves a combination of at-home care and professional dental treatments. Try to eat a portion of dairy a day to help keep your oral health in check as well as to look after the rest of your health. In terms of foods that help to reduce sensitivity, this one is definitely up there. 

Crunchy Vegetables

Next up we have crunchy vegetables. Eating things like carrot, celery, peppers and cucumber raw is great for the teeth in terms of foods that help to reduce sensitivity, as the crunchy nature of them cleans the teeth as you chew, helping to remove some bacteria residue from the foods and drinks you consume, to then keep your teeth clean and reduce the risk of tooth decay. Whilst this certainly doesn’t remove the need for a thorough oral health routine at the beginning and end of the day, snacking on crunchy vegetables in the afternoon is great for the teeth. It’s also important for your jaw, as the act of chewing helps to keep your jaw in good condition and maintain the position of your teeth where they should be. They’re also great for your skincare routine! We love dipping crunchy vegetables into dips like hummus and tzatziki. 

Green Tea

Although not technically in the category of foods that help to reduce tooth sensitivity, drinking green tea is fantastic for your overall oral health and therefore helping to reduce tooth sensitivity. Green tea is known to reduce the amount of negative bacteria in the mouth, often produced as a result of consuming sugary or carby foods. With antioxidant properties, it protects the enamel and reduces the risk of inflammation. One of the best things you can do is to replace one sugary drink a day with a green tea, as not only are you removing one more negative drink for your oral health, but providing your body with a positive one in replacement. 

Protein Sources

Another group of foods that help to reduce tooth sensitivity is high protein foods. They contain good levels of phosphorus, to strengthen the enamel of the teeth and reduce sensitivity. Incorporating enough meat, fish, poultry, beans and lentils into your diet is fantastic for your overall health, as it also helps to build and repair tissues for quicker recovery, as well as benefiting your oral health. Snacking on nuts like almonds or cashews is also a great source of protein, with the crunch being good for your teeth. Aim to eat a handful’s worth of protein with every meal, whether that’s greek yoghurt as a dessert or a portion of chicken breast, and it can really help your oral health. 

Read: 5 Ways To Prioritise Your Oral Health Today! 

Leafy Greens

Last but certainly not least we have leafy greens. Foods like spinach, kale, rocket, cabbage and watercress contain plenty of vitamin A and vitamin C, which can improve the health of your gums, as well as fight the buildup of bacteria. So, eating more of these foods, ideally raw, is fantastic for your oral health. Plus, they’re generally packed full of nutrients, so although they are foods that help to reduce tooth sensitivity, they also benefit the rest of your body too! Brushing with toothpaste formulated for sensitive teeth can help reduce tooth sensitivity and improve your nursing ability.

Final Thoughts

So, there are our foods that help to reduce tooth sensitivity. It’s so important that you are aware of your oral health, visit your dentist Wakefield or Wolverhampton based to make sure everything is as healthy as it should be, and also look after your overall health in general, as often the things that are good for one part of our health are good for everything! 

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Buy Products Containing Flouride

The first positive thing you can do today is to buy products containing fluoride. When you’re buying toothpaste and mouthwash, look at the ingredients and make sure it contains fluoride, as it helps to strengthen the teeth, reduce risk of cavities and overall prevent tooth decay. Prioritizing your oral health with good brushing, flossing, and dentist visits can help reduce tooth sensitivity. This works by making your enamel more resistant to the acid attacks that naturally happen throughout the day, because foods combine with the natural bacteria in our mouths and this results in acid being produced. This is a normal part of life and although there are ways to reduce this (which we will get to) but fluoride can help you to reduce this. 

Start Flossing

Something that many people don’t do as part of their oral health routine is flossing, but it’s a really important part that you need to be focusing on. Whilst brushing thoroughly twice a day and using mouthwash does remove the majority of the plaque and build up on the surface of the teeth, flossing removes any food build up between the teeth and also removes plaque. If you don’t remove this everyday, it can contribute to tooth decay over time. Flossing is the only thing that can remove this fully, so make sure that you incorporate it into your routine to assist with your oral health. 

Read: Five Quick and Easy Post Workout Snacks

Once a day, you should take a piece of floss and go between all of your teeth. It’s best to do this in the evening so that you can remove the residue from the day, so it’s not stuck between your teeth overnight. This is a simple thing to do that takes just a minute but can make a big difference to your oral health over time. 

Swap Out Some Sugary Foods and Drinks

Along with seeing your dentist and improving your oral health routine, reducing your intake of sugary foods and drinks is important too. Sugar is the main contributor to creating unwanted acid in the mouth (as explained above), so when you reduce your intake of it, you reduce the amount of acids being produced, and then you therefore protect your teeth more. So, if you regularly eat and drink sugary foods, try swapping them out for alternative lower sugar versions. This goes for fizzy drinks and caffeinated drinks that you put sugar in. If you struggle to cut down your sugar intake, make sure that you are regularly drinking water throughout the day as this helps to wash away some of the sugar residue to reduce damage until you have a chance to fully brush them. 

Eat More Dairy

Eating low sugar dairy products regularly can help to strengthen your enamel and protect your overall oral health! Snacks like cheese, yoghurt and milk contain high levels of calcium, which are fantastic for your teeth and the rest of your bones too. A bowl of greek yoghurt with some fruit is great for this, and also makes a great post workout snack! Other foods that contain good levels of calcium are lentils, some fruits, tofu, edamame and almonds, so if you can’t eat dairy, these are great options. Another great option is to have a jar of mixed seeds that you sprinkle on things like porridge and salads, also very high in calcium and delicious too. 

Book A Dentist Appointment

Another positive change you can make is to book a dentist appointment! If you haven’t visited the dentist in the last 6 months, or you’re experiencing any kind of pain, discomfort or concerns, then it’s really important that you book an appointment. Even if you think everything is fine, there are so many different things that can occur without you seeing any symptoms. When you get your oral health checked every 6 months, it’s the ideal gap for issues to be spotted and resolved before the damage is too severe. Prioritizing your oral health can help prevent cavities and gum disease, reducing the need for future dental procedures and associated pain management.

They could also make suggestions about your oral health in general, for example you may benefit from Invisalign aligners to straighten your teeth and allow you to brush better, or you may need a filling to prevent something from getting worse. Bite the bullet and book the appointment and your future self will thank you for it! 

The post 5 Ways To Prioritise Your Oral Health Today!  appeared first on Nursing Ability.