Long gone are the days when a missing tooth could only be replaced by a wooden alternative. Missing teeth can now be efficiently replaced by implants that look, feel, and function nearly identically to the teeth they replaced. It’s important to understand that implants still need to be cleaned and protected even though they aren’t real.
After the time, money, and energy spent to restore your mouth with dental implants, you want to take every step necessary to maintain strong oral health in the future. Establishing good nutrition is one of the best ways to do this.
Make Strategic Choices After Oral Surgery
The nutritional choices that you make immediately following surgery can have a major impact on how your implants heal. A high intake of vitamin C is associated with a decrease in periodontal disease progression, and green tea and its extract have been connected to the inhibition of periodontal pathogenic growth.
Your Eating Choices Influence Your Oral Health
By making smart nutritional choices, you can protect your dental implants and ensure they last long into the future. The instant that food enters your mouth, changes start to occur. If the foods you eat are rich in sugars and carbohydrates, they are immediately converted into acids. Those acids begin attacking the teeth and triggering decay. By swapping highly processed, sugar-laden foods with fresher, more nutrient-dense options, you can prevent a number of dental problems and even encourage your teeth and gums to remain as healthy as possible.
Remember to Consider pH Balance
Many otherwise healthy people fail to consider how the foods they eat impact the pH levels of their mouth. Your pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 12, with 7 considered neutral. Lower numbers equate to more acidity, which is why orange juice as a pH of 3 and black coffee has a pH of 5.
When the body strays too far from a pH of 7, negative health consequences like inflammation, headaches, fatigue, and ulcers occur. By avoiding acidic foods and embracing an alkaline diet, you can support your body’s pH balance and protect your oral health as well! It just so happens that most acidic foods also contain added sugar, so cutting processed foods, soda, pasta, and artificial sugars from your diet offers multiple benefits. Swap these acidic choices with water, unprocessed whole foods, organic produce, natural sweeteners, and plant-based protein to keep your gums and implants as healthy as possible.
To learn more about restoring your smile with dental implants and living with the freedom to chew, talk, and smile, call (727) 202-4926 to make an appointment with Dr. Sam Tadros at Dental Implant Solutionz in Largo, Florida.
