When you think about food and oral health, you probably think about the impact that sugary foods and beverages have on your teeth.
These foods provide sustenance for oral bacteria, who then produce harmful acids that eat away at your tooth enamel and lead to gum disease. What you might not know is that your food choices can impact gum recession.
What is Gum Recession?
Gum recession is a condition, often attributed to gum disease, in which your gums pull away from your teeth. As it pulls away, it dies, exposing more and more surface area of your teeth. Eventually, your roots can become exposed, leading to sensitivity, increased risk of bacterial attack, and potential tooth loss.
Gum Disease
While sugary foods do not directly cause gum disease (that is more the result of poor oral hygiene), they can help it to progress faster. Inflamed gum tissue provides a space for bacteria to fall below, and then becomes difficult to remove. As bacteria multiply, they continue to attack the gums, causing chronic bad breath and gum recession. Limiting your consumption of sugary foods can help, but you also need to practice good oral hygiene.
Nutrition Affects Gum Recession
You hear it all the time. A proper, well-balanced diet is essential to good health. This also holds true for the health of your gums. If you are lacking in any nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc.), there is not enough to supply your whole body. These nutrients play an important role in keeping your gums healthy and rebuilding tissue. A deficiency in any nutrients slows the healing and rebuilding process, leaving you vulnerable to suffering gum recession at a faster rate.
What Can You Do?
In order to help your gums heal, you need to make sure that you eat a diet full of nutritious foods. Vitamin and mineral rich fruits and vegetables – Including berries, apples, dark, leafy greens, and carrots – are a must. Calcium rich foods are especially important, and can be gotten from dairy products, spinach, and tofu. And protein – meat, fish, tofu, grains, beans, and legumes – helps your body to rebuild. Incorporating all of these foods into your daily diet can limit gum recession, and help you to heal.
While no specific food is responsible for gum recession, a lack of proper nutrition can cause it to progress faster. Make sure you are eating a diet full of nutritious foods is important. And if you do notice changes in your gums, be sure to contact our office today.
