At the beginning of a new year, millions of people pledge to shed excessive pounds, and although many different kinds of diet trends claim to offer the secret to weight loss, they can come with severe risks to your oral health, which can harm your overall well-being. Here are just some of the most popular diet trends and how they can affect your teeth and gums.
Juice Diets or Cleanses
Although juicing fruits and vegetables seems like an efficient way to get the vitamins and minerals you need from natural produce, it takes away one important element of eating: chewing. When you bite and chew your food, your mouth salivates or produces a water-like fluid, which helps rinse food (and plaque) into your digestive system as well as helps neutralize damaging acids. Also, many of the vegetables can have a scrubbing effect on your teeth, clearing away other debris that could encourage bacterial growth.
Even more harmful, lemon detox or other cleanses can expose your teeth to extremely acidic contents, speeding up the erosion of your teeth.
Raw Food Diet
On the other hand, eating mostly raw or uncooked food can present its own set of problems. While these harder foods provide plenty of chewing, really rough nuts and grains can chip or crack teeth. Plus, these particular foods tend to linger in the mouth, making it easier for plaque to form. Excessive amount of fruit in your diet means you’re probably getting too much sugar, which harmful oral bacteria love.
Vegetarian or Vegan Diet
The main concern for those who don’t eat meat or animal products is that they may run low on important vitamins and minerals for maintaining strong oral health. Without adequate Vitamin B12 and D, calcium, and protein, your risk for gum disease and cavities increases. Fortunately, plant milks and vitamin supplements can help you overcome deficiencies.
Low Carb or Keto Diet
In addition to sugar, carbohydrates fuel bacteria that cause cavities and gum infection, so it makes sense that cutting carbs from your diet would help both your waistline and your smile. However, having too few carbs can lead to a dry mouth and what’s commonly called “Keto breath.” Unfortunately, brushing and flossing don’t improve Keto breath.
Diet Pills
Like some other medications, diet pills can come with unpleasant side effects, like dry mouth. This type of environment gives bacteria free reign in the mouth, paving the way for serious damage to your smile.
Even if you’d like to have dramatic weight loss in 2025, you need to consider how your diet choices can impact your oral health, especially in the long term. Most of the time, you need to make sure you have a balanced, varied diet, drink lots of water, take supplements if necessary, and, of course, keep up healthy oral habits including brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist for checkups and cleanings. Talk to them as well as your physician about your dietary plans, and they can help protect your smile and make sure your body gets what it needs to stay healthy in your weight loss journey.
About the Author
Dr. Stephen Boyles has nine years of dental experience, and over that time, he has earned the distinction of Master with the Academy of General Dentistry, which only a small percentage of dentists around the country achieve. At Boyles General Dentistry & Dental Implants, he and his team encourage preventing oral issues, even though they have the qualifications to treat them. To schedule an appointment in our Midland office, call us at 432-685-7011 or click here.