Keep Your Teeth Healthy And Strong

Taking care of your teeth should be a key part of your health routine from childhood through adulthood. The health of your teeth and gums has the potential to affect the rest of your well-being, so maintaining good oral health habits is important.

One of the best things you can do to keep your teeth strong is pay attention to the enamel, which is the outer surface that protects your teeth from decay. Enamel is the hardest material in the body, but once enamel is lost, cracked, or chipped, it can’t be repaired or brought back. The good news is the enamel you do have can be made stronger. 

5 Tips For Stronger Teeth

1. Avoid foods that harm your teeth

Sugar, like the kind that comes from candy or starchy foods such as chips or bread, can feed bacteria that creates acid and eats away at your tooth enamel. This is why as kids many of us hear that too much candy may damage our teeth. Taking in too many sugary, starchy, or acidic foods, especially without a good dental hygiene routine, can take a toll on your enamel. Check the American Dental Association’s Mouth Healthy guidelines to learn about specific foods and drinks you may want to avoid.

 

2. Eat more enamel-strengthening foods

Tooth enamel is made from minerals like calcium. So eating more high-calcium foods can help neutralize the acid that harms enamel and add protective minerals back to the tooth’s surface. Dairy products are a great place to start if you’re looking to add more calcium to your diet. Beans, tofu, almonds, and leafy greens are leading nondairy options.

 

It also helps to drink plenty of water to help boost your saliva levels. Saliva helps calcium transfer to your teeth and helps wash away leftover food before the acid and sugar can do too much damage.

 

3. Perfect your brushing technique

Despite what you may think, it’s a good idea to wait at least 30 minutes after eating sweets or citrus to brush your teeth. You may think brushing right away would be best, but since sugar and acid weaken your enamel, brushing too soon could take the enamel off your teeth. The American Dental Association recommends choosing a fluoride toothpaste, using a soft-bristle brush at about a 45-degree angle, and gently brushing every surface of your teeth, including the back.

 

4. Stop the grind

Chronic teeth grinding can fracture, chip, and loosen teeth. Unfortunately, if you only grind your teeth at night, you might not notice the problem right away. However, once you do, a fitted mouth guard you can wear when you sleep may be a good solution. If stress is a contributing factor, meditation or exercise may help as well. It’s a good idea to talk to your dentist as soon as you notice this issue to help prevent tooth damage.

 

5. Don’t forget your dental checkups

Visiting your dentist every six months for a regular cleaning and checkup can help catch dental problems before they get too far along and cause real damage. Also, during these exams you can get answers to any questions you have about brushing, flossing, and other ways to keep your teeth strong.

Learn More About The Details Of Your Dental Health

You can learn more about creating good oral health habits, different types of dental care, and using your dental insurance by visiting our dental health webpage. If you have an Anthem health plan and need help finding a dentist in your plan’s network, use the Find Care tool when you log in to the Sydney^SM Health app or anthembluecross.com. 

Was this information helpful to you? Let us know. 

American Dental Association: Top 9 Foods That Damage Your Teeth (accessed August 5, 2024): mounthealthy.org.

American Dental Association: 7 Non-Dairy, Calcium-Rish Foods for Your Teeth (accessed August 5, 2024): mounthealthy.org.

May Clinic: When and how often should you brush your teeth? (July 27, 2023): mayoclinic.org.

American Dental Association: Brushing Your Teeth (accessed August 5, 2024): mounthealthy.org.