DIETA CARIOGÉNICA - Clínica Dental Odontic by Dra. María J. Pérez (2024)

FAQs

What foods are Cariostatic? ›

Foods such as milk and dairy products, apples, cranberries, tea, and high-fiber foods have been suggested to have cariostatic properties (i.e., inhibiting the development of caries), although more careful examination is needed.

: producing or promoting the development of tooth decay.

The sugars implicated in dental caries, in decreasing order of cariogenicity, are sucrose, glucose, and fructose; brown sugars are as cariogenic as white.

The chickpeas in hummus are high in protein without containing saturated fats, so it can help strengthen your teeth without the risk of a sticky, plaque-causing debris that certain fats can cause. It's also high in folic acid, which helps support cell growth and strengthens your teeth even more!

If you are what you eat, that's even more true for your teeth and gums. When you drink and eat starchy or sugary foods, you're not only feeding yourself. You're also feeding the germs (bacteria) that can cause tooth decay and gum disease in your mouth.

Cavities, or tooth decay, are small holes in the teeth. As a result, there is no natural way to remove them at home. Only a dentist can fix a cavity by filling it in. That said, home care can prevent cavities.

Frequent consumption of simple carbohydrates, primarily in the form of dietary sugars is significantly associated with increased dental caries risk.

Foods you should avoid for cavity prevention include sticky sweets and candies and foods that are likely to get stuck in your teeth. Additionally, you should avoid carbonated, high-sugar drinks, alcohol, and medications that can reduce saliva production.

This starch can get trapped between your teeth and contribute to plaque production. Refined carbohydrates include, but aren't limited to, foods like crackers, potato chips, white bread, pastries and desserts, white rice, cookies, cereal, sugar, agave syrup, high fructose corn syrup, pasta, and artificial sweeteners.

How to prevent dental caries? ›

You can prevent tooth decay by eating a healthy diet, avoiding sugar sweetened drinks, drinking plenty of tap water, brushing your teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, and flossing once a day. Regular professional care can help to identify and prevent decay and may avoid the need for a filling.

This includes grain sugars like glucose, your regular household sugars or sucrose, the fructose in fruit sugars and lactose in milk. It really doesn't matter where the sugar in your diet is coming from: it can still potentially cause tooth decay and cavities to form.

Sugar and tooth decay:

Sugars in food and drinks play a major role in the development of dental caries. Bacteria within the plaque use the sugar as energy and release acid as a waste product, which gradually dissolves the enamel in the teeth [1].

Free sugars are the essential dietary factor in the development of dental caries. Dental caries develops when bacteria in the mouth metabolize sugars to produce acid that demineralizes the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel and dentine).

Broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are all cruciferous vegetables. This vegetable family contains powerful phytochemicals, including carotenoids, indoles and glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, which have been studied and shown to slow the growth of many cancers.

Phytochemicals, also called phytonutrients, are the potentially helpful compounds found in plant foods. They may help prevent chronic diseases, including cancer. These can be found in vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, nuts and seeds. But the type and amount of phytochemicals in different plants varies.

Cario-static foods include: red meat, pork, fish, chicken, eggs, raw high-fibre vegetables (such as celery, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cucumber and kale), nuts, popcorn and non-acidic artificial sweeteners.