Eat well this summer (and watch your mouth)

The intake of fruits, salads and water will help to maintain a healthy smile before the arrival of the holidays and high temperatures. The good weather is already here and with it, our need to stay on the streets and enjoy outdoor plans. During this summer season so many people tend to change and ignore their oral hygiene habits. After the return from holidays, the number of visits to the dentist increases with cases like: inflammation of the gums, periodontal problem relapse, a broken tooth or tartar.

Trips, more eating-out plans or high temperatures are some factors to count on. Feeding plays a fundamental roll in oral health and holidays. The hot weather invites us to consume ice cream and drinks just to calm our thirst and to make us feel refreshed. But, what happens when abusing of the intake of these products?

For instance, ice creams contain a high percentage of sugars which maximize the chance of caries to appear. Soft drinks due to their composition based in chemical substances can make our teeth darker if there is a high intake, or even iced juices because of the acidity, producing the erosion of our teeth. Moreover, they cause oral hypersensitivity just because they are too cold.

The recommendation is to consume this kind of food choosing the ones with lower sugar components or without artificial sweeteners, reduce the intake of soft drinks and avoid big temperature changes. Brush your teeth always after having this sort of drinks. During summer time, the risk of the plaque to appear increases and also your periodontal health can get worse.

Another beneficial alternative are natural milkshakes made with fruits and veggies like gazpacho. Do not forget that water is the healthiest drink; its intake will help you to maintain a healthy mouth. It is a key element in every diet; it actually helps to maintain hydrated the salivary flow and the oral mucous of your mouth. The body suffers constantly the loss of liquids through our sweat and breath. On a hot day, you can lose up to three litres of corporal liquid. The ideal in this case would be to drink at least 2 litres of water and try to be hydrated before being thirsty.

Other recommended type of food that will help you keeping a good and healthy teeth during your holidays, are fruits like: kiwi, improving your vitamin C levels and keeping your gums healthy. Melon is rich in vitamin B, folic acid, preventing ulcers to appear. And strawberries, thanks to their strong antioxidant effect, they act like and allied in the fight against the cellular aging process, which benefits the whole body.

Even salads, the favourite thing to eat during this season, have healthy nutrients for your teeth. Tomato, for example, is rich in lycopene, a powerful component for the prevention of different sort of cancer like oral cancer.  Seafood and fish are rich in Omega 3, really helpful to keep under control the periodontal inflammation.

To conclude, if you practice some of these useful and basic tips this summer you will end the season with a perfect smile.